This newspaper cannot miss a chapter dedicated to Sammy Basso, a boy from Veneto who was the world spokesman for progeria, a very rare genetic mutation that leads to early ageing and from which he was affected. Sammy died at the age of 28 suddenly a few days ago during a celebration, with a smile as he always was. Just yesterday, Friday 11 October, the funeral took place in his town in the province of Vicenza. A human and scientific figure who will never be forgotten by all the people of Veneto and all Italians.
Born in 1995 in Schio, Vicenza. When he was two years and a few months old, he was diagnosed with Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria. Together with his parents, he founded the Italian Progeria Association Sammy Basso, which he has witnessed since the age of ten. In 2007, he joined the first study group of the PRF (Progeria Research Foundation) clinical trial with Lonafarnib. Known for his many television appearances and interviews concerning the association’s activities and his disease, he became particularly well known in Italy after the National Geographic docu-film entitled ‘Sammy’s Journey’ was aired, 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.
In 2018, Sammy graduated from the University of Padua with a degree in Natural Sciences, with a thesis aimed at demonstrating the possibility of curing Progeria through genetic engineering. After undergoing a very risky operation to replace his aortic valve (first time in a patient with Progeria) in 2019, he was appointed, by motu proprio of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. In 2021, he specialised in Molecular Biology, graduating from the University of Padua with a thesis aimed at clarifying the correlation between Progeria and inflammation.
In addition to being spokesperson for the association, he has worked closely with the PRF, also serving as International Ambassador.
Sammy we will never forget you.
