Boston teenager Sam Berns loses battle against rare genetic disease
An American Jewish teenager has lost his battle against a rare genetic disease that causes accelerated ageing in sufferers.
Sam Berns, of Boston, passed away on Friday at the age of 17, a day before he was due to serve as honourary captain for American football team New England Patriots.
The brave youngster rose to prominence after featuring in acclaimed documentary “Life According to Sam,” which was subsequently screened at Jewish film festivals around the world.
Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up
Sam suffered from progeria and actually lived three years longer than is the typical life expectancy for children with the disease.
The HBO documentary showed how Sam’s parents and doctors sought new drug treatments that would prolong the lives of children with progeria.
In 2003, they identified the gene that causes the condition, and since then have developed drug treatment.
The coverage has helped further public understanding about the condition, which causes musculoskeletal degeneration, cardiovascular problems and other symptoms associated with ageing.[divider]
Watch Sam’s appearance at TEDxTalks‘ Mid Atlantic Conference here:
[youtube id=”36m1o-tM05g” width=”600″ height=”340″ position=”left”]
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)
-
By Laurent Vaughan - Senior Associate (Bishop & Sewell Solicitors)