Only 28 years old Rare disease survivor dies after visiting a restaurant

Sammy Basso is dead. The Italian was the longest survivor of the rare hereditary disease Progeria. The biologist died on Saturday at the age of 28 after a visit to a restaurant.

Italy is mourning the death of Sammy Basso, the longest survivor of the rare hereditary disease Progeria. The biologist died on Saturday at the age of 28 after a visit to a restaurant.

Basso, who was born in Schio in the northern Italian province of Vicenza in 1995, was diagnosed with Progeria at the age of two. In 2005, he and his parents founded the "Italian Progeria Association Sammy Basso" (Aiprosab).

Basso completed his degree in natural sciences at the University of Padua in 2018 with a thesis on therapies to slow down the progression of his disease. He lived in Tezze sul Brenta (Vicenza). The biologist became famous thanks to the National Geographic documentary "Sammy's Journey".

In it, he recounts his journey through the United States, which Sammy undertook with his parents and one of his best friends from Chicago to Los Angeles. Basso also appeared several times on Italian television.

One of eight million affected

Progeria, also known as Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome (HGPS), causes people to age rapidly and appear physically older than they are. They have a reduced quality of life and, without treatment, a life expectancy of only 13.5 years.

The disease-related ageing, which begins in childhood, is caused by genetic mutations. The disease affects one in eight million people at birth.

SDA