Sammy Basso, the 28-year-old suffering from progeria, has died. The family: his lesson is to live life to the full
He had raised awareness of Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome, a rare disease that causes premature ageing
3' min read
3' min read
He died at the age of 28 Sammy Basso, an Italian progeria patient who had made the world aware of the rare disease from which he suffered and which causes premature ageing of cells and the body but not of the brain.
Giving the news, with a post on Fb, was the Italian Progeria Association Sammy Basso onlus: 'On 5 October 2024, today our light, our guide, has gone out,' the post reads. 'Thank you Sammy for making us part of this wonderful life. We gather around the family and friends in respect of grief at this delicate time of mourning'.
'Sammy taught us that although life's obstacles may sometimes seem insurmountable, it is worth living it to the full'. This was the message, posted on Instagram, with which Sammy Basso's family and friends wanted to remember him.
Born in 1995 in Schio, he was diagnosed with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria when he was two years and a few months old. Basso, together with his parents, founded the Italian Sammy Basso Progeria Association, which he witnessed from the age of ten. As underlined on the association's website, Sammy Basso was 'known for his many television appearances and interviews about the association's activities and about his illness' and 'became particularly well known in Italy after the airing of the National Geographic docu-film entitled "Sammy's Journey", which recounts his journey along Route 66, in the USA, from Chicago to Los Angeles, with his parents and one of his best friends, Riccardo'.
Sickness in the restaurant
Sammy Basso died late yesterday evening after being taken ill suddenly while having dinner with family and friends at Villa Razzolini Loredan in Asolo (Treviso). A Suem 118 ambulance arrived on the scene and doctors tried to resuscitate him, but their attempt was in vain.
