University of Evansville baseball player Simon Schulz announced the death of his brother, Sam, after a battle with a rare skin disease. Sam was 22.
“To my best friend, my idol, my role model, my big brother, thank you for everything you have done for me,” Simon shared via Instagram on Wednesday, August 12. “Thank you for always being by my side and being my biggest fan. Although you aren’t here with me anymore, I know you will always be by my side.”
Simon continued, “You have finished the fight and you have won the race. You are no longer in pain. You can rest now. I love you very much Samuel and I’m so grateful to have been able to call you my brother. I love you forever. 💙”
Sam suffered from epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic skin disease that causes fragile and blistered skin. Blisters are caused by heat and friction, and can even impact internal organs.
Pat Schulz, Sam and Simon’s father, remembered his late son with a poignant social media post.
“We lost a beautiful light in this world yesterday,” Pat shared via X. “My best friend and son, Sam Schulz got his miracle and went to Heaven. He fought such a courageous fight. Most would have given up, but not Sam.”
A massive sports fan, Sam got to live out a longtime dream of attending a Michigan State basketball practice with his family just weeks before his death.
“They basically told me that if there’s anything I want to do, that we need to go ahead and do it, because they’re not really sure how much time I have left,” Sam told the Lansing State Journal on July 28.
When his mother, Lori, asked what would be highest on his bucket list, Sam responded, “I want to go to East Lansing.”
“I can sit here and watch this all day,” Sam said. “I love breaking it down, watching practice, see how it’s run, all that kind of stuff.”
Pat said his son “loved” the experience, but acknowledged the bittersweet reality of the day.
“Unfortunately, normally he comes to something like this and he just sort of soaks it up and he’s the life of the show,” Pat said. “Sam has always been super outgoing, and I think right now he just feels so bad. I think deep down he’s just really enjoyed it, but his body’s just wearing out. He’s starting to see what’s in front of him. It’s starting to hit him.”
