‘Superman Sam’ Loses Fight to Leukemia, Dies at 8 Years Old
Samuel Asher Sommer, known as “Superman Sam,” whose fight against leukemia inspired many to raise money to fight the disease, has died.
Sam died Saturday in his Chicago-area home at the age of 8. His death was announced during Shabbat morning services at the Union for Reform Judaism biennial convention, according to the Times of Israel. His funeral was on Sunday.
Sam’s 18-month battle against refractory acute myeloid leukemia was chronicled on the Superman Sam blog written by his mother, Rabbi Phyllis Sommer. He also is the son of Rabbi Michael Sommer and has three siblings.
He was known as “Superman Sam” because of his love of superheroes.
Some 48 rabbis, including 10 women, had registered before his death to shave their heads in honor of Sam to raise money for leukemia research through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Others had agreed to raise funds in other ways.
Sam was buried in his Superman pajamas and shirt, his favorite hoodie, a Superman blanket and SpongeBob SquarePants sheets, according to the Times of Israel.
Sam had been under home hospice care in the week before his death.
“Sam was not alone for a single moment of his life,” his mother wrote in her latest Superman Sam blog post. “He died peacefully and calmly and quietly at 12:33 am. He was not in fear or in pain. And for that I am eternally grateful.”
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
