“I thought about what my funeral would be like, and I didn’t like two things: not being able to be there and not being able to console those who would attend.”
Sammy Basso, the Venetian researcher affected by progeria who died last Sunday at the age of 28, wrote this in a letter written in 2017, with the specific request that it be opened only at the time of his death.
The words were read by the bishop of Vicenza, Monsignor Giuliano Brugnotto, during the funeral homily. "Remember me by praying but also by drinking a glass of wine, by partying," Sammy wrote, "If I could go back I would still want to be by your side. Know that I lived my life happily, as a human being. I did not lose my battle against the disease, because there was no battle."
What I "don't regret is having loved so much, so love those around you," he concludes, "because our traveling companions are the most positive thing that can happen to us... and know that it has been a pleasure to travel through life with you."
(Online Union)