Progeria Sufferer Sam Berns Dies

Sam Berns, who gained national attention for having a genetic disorder that made him appear much older than he actually was in chronological age, has died at the age of 17. The disorder, known as Progeria, which Berns suffered from since birth, causes rapid aging of the body and is extremely rare. Scientists estimate it affects only one individual out of every four to eight million births. Most Progeria patients don’t live past the age of 13 and the cause of death is usually heart failure or a stroke. Berns lived four years past that projection and was enrolled as a junior in a Boston high school at the time of his death.

“We go through every day worrying about traffic jams and why the Internet is so slow, yet, here is Sam Berns, carrying on with his life.”

“He didn’t want people to feel sorry for him, he said he was happy and he meant it.”

Berns’ mother and father, who are both physicians, helped to bring attention to their son’s plight when they established the Progeria Research Foundation 15 years ago. Berns was the subject of a documentary that premiered in 2013 called “Life According to Sam.” The film covered what went on in Berns’ daily life between the ages of 13 to 16. The youngster only agreed to be the subject of attention if people used seeing the film to better understand his condition rather than simply to feel sympathy for him.

On The Web:
Sam Berns, 17, Public Face of a Rare Illness, Is Dead
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/14/us/sam-berns-17-public-face-of-a-rare-illness-is-dead.html?_r=0