Sam Berns begins his Ted talk by sharing how he realised his dream of playing the snare drum for his high school marching band by improvising and coming up with his own version of the instrument — one that he could carry. It was a dream, he says, that he had to accomplish and one that he eventually did. Berns then talks about living with Progeria — a rare, rapid ageing disease that affects about 350 odd kids around the world. "Even though there are many obstacles in my life, with a lot of them being created by Progeria, I don't want people to feel bad for me," he says. "I don't think about these obstacles all the time, and I am able to overcome most of them anyway". He goes on to share the key philosophies to having a happy life. "For me, there are three aspects to this philosophy. The first being that I am okay with what I ultimately can't do, because there's so much that I can do. Even though I have Progeria, most of my time is spent thinking about things that have nothing to do with Progeria at all," he says. Speaking about the second aspect of his philosophy, he says, "I surround myself with people that I want to be with, people of high quality". He talks about his loving family and friends, who have been by his side all throughout. ALSO READ | ‘We are already on our way to the destination, why worry?’ Berns then says the third and final aspect of the philosophy is to keep moving forward. "I always have something to look forward to, something to strive for, to make my life richer. It doesn't have to be big. It could be anything from looking forward to the next comic book to come out, or going on a large family vacation, or hanging out with my friends, to going to the next high school football game. All of these keep me focused to know that there's a bright future ahead, and may get through some difficult times." Berns was 17 when he gave this speech. He died a few days later. His energy, vision, ideas, however, continue to stay with us.
