Beloved teen Sam Berns dies at 17 after suffering from rare disease (Progeria)

Sam died over the weekend. He suffered from 'progeria' - accelerated aging.

Beloved teen Sam Berns dies at 17 after suffering from rare disease

Saturday night could have been a moment for Sam Berns to celebrate -- standing in the middle of Gillette Stadium, flanked by some of his beloved New England Patriots, and no doubt cheered heartily by the nearly 70,000 fans surrounding him.
But it wasn't to be.
Instead of having Berns as an honorary captain in their NFL playoff with the Indianapolis Colts, the Patriots held a moment of silence for the young man who inspired them and many others as he lived with progeria, which causes premature, accelerated aging.
"Do it for Sammy!" one man yelled, piercing the quiet, in video of the ceremony on Boston.com.
Berns died Friday evening due to complications from the rare genetic disease, according to the Progeria Research Foundation.
He was 17.

At 17 years old, he looks like an old, old man.

This article covers his death, and how people respond to it.

But, there's also a TedX talk (I'm watching now), that I want to share with you all.
I hear his voice breaking as he talks about his feelings and 'future'....which is now, well -
he wants to change the world.

Have you all seen the docu "Life According to Sam"? I did a search, but saw nothing at all about him.
(Mods, do your thing!)



Just wanted to let everyone know, and think about this young man's life; and how many blessings we have in our lives.

Keep moving forward.

reply to post by wildtimes


Awh what a lovely wee soul. May he rest in peace. Such a shame he did not make it to the stadium...

Life is precious and more people should treat it that way..

reply to post by fluff007


Indeed. But, he did get to march with the band and play snare drums!!

I was a 'band geek', too....

I assume he got to attend his school's "homecoming party" the next night - I certainly hope so.

As he says at the end:

"Never miss a party if you can help it!"
RIP, Sam!!!
You DID change the world!!!

He was a very intelligent young man, his courage and motivation was inspiring. He will be sadly missed.

What a beautiful soul he was, what wonderful parents he had, after watching his documentary I thought how much good he brought to the world, just by being in it.

reply to post by wildtimes


What an amazing motivational speaker and only 17. I'm embarrassed thinking how immature I was at his age.

It is a soul like Sam that allows us to see life for what it really is.

I'm going to watch the documentary for sure now.

These special children are brought into the world for a reason, maybe they have a wisdom that we can't fathom. They usually have above average intelligence that some of us will never achieve in our 70 plus years of life what they have in their short 10-13 years of life, so Sam with his 17 years has exceeded the normal lifespan of Progeria by 4, probably a lifetime more of quietly suffering in silence. May you suffer no more Sam and may you have accomplished what you were destined to do in this life and chose a path of less pain and suffering your next go round...

Progeria, the rare genetic

Children with progeria usually develop the first symptoms during their first few months. The earliest symptoms may include a failure to thrive and a localized scleroderma-like skin condition. As a child ages past infancy, additional conditions become apparent usually around 18–24 months. Limited growth, full-body alopecia, and a distinctive appearance (a small face with a shallow recessed jaw, and a pinched nose) are all characteristics of progeria. Signs and symptoms of this progressive disease tend to become more marked as the child ages. Later, the condition causes wrinkled skin, atherosclerosis, kidney failure, loss of eyesight, hair loss, and cardiovascular problems. Scleroderma, a hardening and tightening of the skin on trunk and extremities of the body, is prevalent. People diagnosed with this disorder usually have small, fragile bodies, like those of elderly people. The face is usually wrinkled, with a larger head in relation to the body, a narrow face and a beak nose. Prominent scalp veins are noticeable (made more obvious by alopecia), as well as prominent eyes. Musculoskeletal degeneration causes loss of body fat and muscle, stiff joints, hip dislocations, and other symptoms generally absent in the non-elderly population. Individuals usually retain normal mental and motor development.

Cheers Sam

reply to post by wildtimes


I saw his Ted Talk a while ago. Really enjoyed it. This condition is absolutely tragic, but his parents made some serious headway in that research.

reply to post by wildtimes


This breaks my heart!

May he rest in peace.. his work is done here.