Sam Levine

Written by Sam’s family

Sam was a person who lived with a rare blend of curiosity, humor, grit, and genuine love for people. His interests always reflected that mix. He loved the outdoors, whether skiing down steep bowls in Colorado or scuba diving thirty feet below the ocean surface, but adventure for Sam was never about chasing adrenaline. The best part of every experience was who he got to share it with.

He had a deep passion for sports and followed them with an encyclopedic level of detail, whether it was college football, the Steelers, the Penguins, the Pirates, or anything related to fantasy leagues. He was also a lover of comedy, from Curb Your Enthusiasm to comedy shows, and the endless stream of funny memes and private jokes he shared with his friends. Humor was one of his love languages.

Connection was both his talent and his joy. Sam had the rare ability to talk to anyone – younger kids, teachers, grandparents, or complete strangers – and make them feel comfortable. He did not collect acquaintances; he built friendships. Many people have described him as the glue in their social circles.

Sam’s personality combined kindness with quiet determination. When he set his mind to something, he bet on himself and fully committed, whether making the travel basketball team despite his height, training to ski double black diamonds, or working harder than anyone else in a classroom. His effort was never performative; he simply believed that working hard was part of showing up fully in life.

He was helpful in ways that truly mattered. One parent once said their son only got through high school because of Sam, which speaks to Sam’s instinct to support others without needing attention or credit. His talents were not flashy; they were profoundly human: connecting, encouraging, showing up, and making difficult things easier for the people around him.

In the spring of 2024 Sam began experiencing what we now know were the early symptoms of DIPG. His speech grew slightly less clear, he struggled in lacrosse because he felt weakness on his left side, and he began having difficulty swallowing certain foods. We sought out various specialists, but no one could provide concrete answers. On May 2, 2024, after a battery of tests and hours of waiting at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, we were given the news that would shatter our world: Sam had DIPG. We had never heard of it before, but a quick search confirmed that it was not a diagnosis any family would ever want to encounter.

True to his personality, Sam faced DIPG with quiet strength and unwavering determination. He never complained and he never asked “why me.” Instead, he threw himself into doing everything possible to both savor the time he had with family and friends and to fight this brutal disease with courage.

During his nineteen-month battle, Sam traveled to Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Colorado, and he even had the extraordinary opportunity to meet his favorite band, Coldplay, and his favorite hockey player, Sidney Crosby. These moments lit him up, and they reminded all of us that joy was still possible, even in the midst of something so cruel.

In the end, DIPG robbed Sam of his voice and his physical strength, but it never stole his love, his spirit, or his deep desire to connect with the people around him.