Sam Berns, a 17-year-old who became a well-known face of a rare premature aging disease called progeria, died Friday at home from complications of his condition, Reuters reported. His family and friends said goodbye to the inspiring teen at his funeral service on Tuesday.
The Massachusetts native was subject of the feature-length HBO documentary “Life According to Sam.” Throughout his life, he and his parents brought world attention to the Progeria Research Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Sam’s aunt, Audrey Gordon.
It’s true — Sam taught the world about progeria. But he also taught us how to lead a fulfilling life.
In the midst of Friday’s tragic news, we wanted to share a piece of Sam with you that we hold dear — and that will undoubtedly keep him alive in our hearts.
Above is the TEDx Talk Sam delivered last October, where he shares his philosophy for a happy life. The teen certainly lived up to his own advice:
1. “I’m OK with what I ultimately can’t do because there’s so much that I can do.”
2. “I surround myself with people that I want to be with, people of high quality.”
3. “Keep moving forward.”
If you measure Sam’s life in years, it may seem as though he comes up short. But if you measure his life in love, it seems he’ll outlive all of us.
