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Sam Berns: My Philosophy for a Happy Life

January 10, 2014 by  
Filed under VidStyle

At 22 months old, Sam Berns was diagnosed with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, more commonly known as progeria. This was his philosophy for a happy life. He is featured in the documentary ‘Life According to Sam’ that premiered on October 21, 2013.

ABOUT TEDx

TEDx was created in the spirit of TED’s mission, ‘ideas worth spreading’. The programme is designed to give communities, organisations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level.

ABOUT Sam Berns

Sam Berns “17-year-old Sam Berns lived with a rare genetic condition that accelerated the ageing process called progeria, a rare and rapid aging disease.

Since this TEDx talk, Sam passed away earlier this year on January 10, 2014 due to complications from this condition. Sam was a Junior at Foxboro High School in Foxboro, Massachusetts, where he achieved the highest honours and was a Percussion Section Leader in the High School Marching Band.

Sam also achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. When asked once by a Journalist: “What is the most important thing people should know about you?” He replied:

“I have a very happy life. Even though there are many obstacles in my life, with a lot of them being created by Progeria, I don’t want people to feel bad for me. I don’t think about these obstacles all the time and I’m able to overcome most of them anyway.”

Sam’s parents, Doctors Leslie Gordon and Scott Berns founded their Non-Profit Organisation the Progeria Research Foundation to provide more information and research on the condition that is little understood.

The VIDEO

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