Award-winning documentary star, 17-year-old dies of old age

Sam Berns, the charismatic and precocious 17-year-old who starred in the documentary Life According to Sam, passed away last Friday at his own home in Foxborough. The cause of the boy's death could not have been other than serious complications related to his differentiated genetic condition, known as progeria.

According to Fiocruz, progeny or Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome is a genetic disease that causes premature aging in its carriers, at a rate equivalent to about seven times faster than a normal person. Therefore, when a person with the syndrome turns 9 years old, their body responds as if they are completing their 63rd birthday - which absurdly shortens the life expectancy of patients.

But after Sam participated in a documentary about his own situation, in a heroic race to find a solution to his condition, he became known and recognized around the world. His face now features major research and relief campaigns for the eight million children born with Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome. In addition, the production Life According to Sam has been nominated for the 2014 Producers Guild Awards.

And there's no cause for sadness, because Sam himself was a very happy person during the scenes shown in the production. During his time of struggle, the experienced boy gave motivational talks and always answered his interviews with great optimism and good humor. Anyway, let Sam be right where he is and this story also resembles an older movie starring Robin Williams called "Jack" - which you can check out a very interesting passage in the video above.