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We all learn about the importance of positive thinking and perseverance yet until I watched the above video, the power of those concepts didn't really sink in. Sam Berns is a man with incredible life challenges yet he shows the power of the human spirit. Sam makes every difficulty in your life seem infinitesimally small and insignificant. 

Here is a man with a debilitating incurable disease who is really, truly and genuinely happy. Through his talks, Sam teaches us his secrets to a happy life.

1. FOCUS ON THINGS YOU CAN DO - He explains that your mental energy should be spent on positive things you can do rather than the things you can't. The sentence that illustrates this is : "Be ok with what I ultimately can't do, because there is so much I CAN do."
2. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE YOU WANT AROUND - In his talk he explains the power of positive loving people and clearly illustrates why you want "good" people around you. He explains how his friends helped him forget about his disease when creating music and how his families love got him through the difficult times.
3. LOOK FORWARD TO THE POSITIVE - He explains how important it is to focus on the positive things coming up on your future. They give you something to look forward to. Having something positive to look forward to helps soften some of the challenges you may be faced with today.

With all of the challenges this 17 year old was presented with, he maintained a positive outlook and asked others not to waste time feeling bad for themselves. This is a truly inspirational talk.

Sam's parents devoted their lives to finding a cure to this rare and incurable disease by establishing the Progeria Research Foundation. The foundation aims to finance research. Sam's father was a pediatrician in training and switched to genetics research when his son was diagnosed. This research team was able to identify the progeria causing gene and they are conducting clinical trials on a promising drug called lonafarnib (started in 2007). So far the preliminary research is promising showing that the 28 patients has weight gain, improved bone structure and reversal of the blood vessel changes that cause heart attack or stroke. It is important to note that this drig isn't a cure but it may help children affected by progreria to life longer healthier lives.

Sam passed away just weeks after he gave the above talk.