Classmates pay tribute to Sam Berns with memorial garden
Foxborough High School’s Class of 2015 is establishing a garden in memory of their classmate Sam Berns, who lost his battle with progeria, the accelerated aging disease, in January 2014., according to The Sun Chronicle.
The garden, complete with an “S’’ shaped walkway in honor of the young man who became the public face for the rare genetic disease, will be installed near the scoreboard of the Sam Berns Community Field, according to the report.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft attended the dedication of the field in June. Berns, who played snare drum in the school marching band and was an enthusiastic sports fan, was invited to a Patriots practice after Kraft was introduced to the teen and attended the HBO premiere of the 2013 documentary Life According to Sam.
The film brought awareness of the disease to a new level, according to the Progeria Research Foundation.
“Even though there are many obstacles in my life, many of them created by progeria, I don’t want people to feel bad for me,’’ Berns told the audience at his TED Talk in December, 2013. “I don’t think about all these obstacles all the time, and I’m able to overcome most of them anyway.’’
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