“If you are reading these words, it means that I am no longer part of the world of the living.” It is he who speaks to us in this letter, Sammy Basso
Sammy Basso He had suffered from progeria since birth, a disease which involves premature aging of the organism. It is not surprising that the 28-year-old had prepared for the day of his death, which occurred last Sunday while he was celebrating a friends’ wedding.
The young researcher, well known as one of the very rare people in the world who carried on the fight against his rare diseasewas remembered with great affection. During the funeral in Tezze sul Brenta a letter written by Sammy himself was read.
The text it arrived in its entirety on the pages of the newspaper ‘Avvenire’. It begins like this, with great realism and serenity: “If you are reading these words, it means that I am no longer part of the world of the living, or at least, not in the one we know”. It is he who speaks to us in this letter, Sammy Basso. Regarding the occasion in which his words resonate, the young man writes:
One of the things that distressed me most was the thought of funerals. Not because there was anything wrong: saying a final farewell to your loved ones is one of the most poetic expressions of humanity. However, thinking about my funeral made me suffer for two reasons: the fact of not being able to be present and greet those I love, and not being able to console those close to me.
Sammy, thanking whoever is taking care of the careful reading of his last wordsis keen to assure that he lived his life “joyfully, without exception, as a simple human being”. There were, as he states in the letter, happy moments, but also difficulties.
Progeria profoundly affected my existence, but it was only a small part of who I am. While it influenced many of my choices, it never completely defined my life. […] Please don’t say I lost a battle. There was no fight. There was only one life to live, with its obstacles but also with its beauty.
From child Sammy dreamed of becoming a person mentioned in history books, in general a character who would be remembered, but it was, as the 28-year-old himself says, a “silly wish”. Sammy’s letter is also a reflection on love:
Glory and fame are ephemeral things, but the love we leave is eternal, because it comes from God. I have never regretted having loved so many people in my life, even if I would have liked to love even more. […] Love those around you, because our traveling companions are not the means, but the end.
With great irony but also with a notable dose of wisdomSammy continues to talk about his outlook on life. According to him, in fact, everyone’s task “is not just to find the positive, but to create it”. His letter ends with a message of serenity towards death. “Toast to my health, remember me with joy, because I have always loved being in company”. With extraordinary simplicity, the 28 year old ends the letter almost as if he wants to smile and console us:
Now I say goodbye to you, and I tell you that I couldn’t imagine my life without you. If I had the choice, I would do it all again, next to you. And tomorrow, the sun will rise again…
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