The story of Bouchra
Sam Berns, the teenager who aged ahead of time, died last week after battling for 17 years with an incredibly rare genetic condition. The boy was a little over one year old when he was diagnosed with progeria, the disease usually known as the condition that speeds up aging.
The rare condition causes symptoms normally associated to human aging, like muscle and bone degeneration, severe cardiovascular problems, inability to preserve body fat, extreme weight and hair loss, and many other. When first diagnosed, Sam was believed to live until the maximum age of 13, but he surprisingly lived until he was 17.
Besides his violent condition and the fact that he was aging way too fast, the 17-year-old struggled to live a happy life and talked about his life philosophy making himself known to the world. The teenager had his own talk during a TEDx conference and spoke to people about simple ways of being happy.
His unique way of staying positive in spite of his disease inspired thousands around the world, turning him into an actual role model at just 17. Like any teenager, he loved hanging out with his friends, play the snare drum or engage in sporting activities, notes Mashable.
Sam’s parents, both doctors, spent the majority of their time studying progeria and finding ways to treat the rare disease. They started the Progeria Research Foundation in 1999 in order to fight the condition and find a cure for it. In their process to understand it, they managed to find a way to isolate the gene, leading to the first ever treatment of the disease.
During the talks about his philosophy of being happy, Sam focuses on three major guidelines. First he says, “I am OK with what I am ultimately unable to do” because he knows there are other things he can do and that matter a lot. The second aspect is that “I surround myself with people that I want to be with” because they influence him to stay happy. The third thing is “keep moving forward” because there is always something more ahead.
On average, children suffering from progeria don’t live more than 13 years, but Sam had the chance and the optimism in order to defy the odds. Sam advised the world to stay happy because, despite life’s challenges, living is beautiful and is not worth burdening ourselves with unuseful, negative energy.