According to a story from uk.news.yahoo.com, Sammy Basso is 22 years old, and for him, it is a miracle. That is because Sammy is living with the rare genetic disorder called progeria. Only around 100 people in the world are known to have the disease. Sammy is also the longest surviving living person with progeria, which makes every new day a blessing for him. He lives in a town outside of Venice, Italy.
About Progeria
Progeria is an extremely rare genetic disorder which is characterized by accelerated effects of aging. The disorder usually occurs as a new mutation, as its patients rarely survive long enough to transmit the disorder. It is linked to a mutation of the LMNA gene. Symptoms of disease include skin changes, hair loss, poor growth, wrinkled skin, scalp veins, cardiovascular issues, a distinct, small face with a shallow jaw and pinched nose, kidney failure, and vision loss. There is no cure or treatment so far that can slow or halt progression of the disease; most intervention is depends on symptoms. Progeria significantly shortens the lifespan of its patients, with most surviving into their mid to late teens. Most patients die from cardiovascular problems. To learn more about progeria, click here.
Living With Progeria
For Sammy, day to day life mean close medical monitoring. In addition, he has to be aware of the significant physical limitations that the disease imparts on him; he simply does not have the same physical stamina as the typical 22 year old. Putting too much physical strain on his body can be life threatening.
He says that his family and friends help give him the motivation to keep going on a day to day basis.
“They make me remember the important things in my life.“
Dedicated to a Better World
Sammy says that the disorder is just a small part of who he is, and while the disease may limit his body, his mind is still in tip-top shape. He had dedicated much of his time to researching his disease as well as other subjects. He recently graduated from the University of Padua with a degree in molecular biology.
Sammy hopes to continue researching progeria with the organization he founded, called Italian Association Progeria Sammy Basso. To learn about Sammy’s research organization, click here.
