Ambassador
According to Michael Palin, Sam Smith is God’s favourite New Zealand comedian!
When Sam was diagnosed with MS in 2015, little did he know it would change his life – for the better. Partial vision loss and weakened strength in his hands forced him to switch from being a dentist to becoming a full-time comedian and writer.
You may have seen him on the first season of The Traitors NZ, on the sitcom Mean Mums, or on his appearances on 7 Days. What you might not know is that he also writes the tasks for the NZ and Australian versions of Taskmaster. He also a children’s author and co-host of the Champagne Rugby podcast, as well as the ReVISION podcast for Blind Low Vision NZ.
Sam was a proud recipient of the Mastering Mountains grant in 2019, which allowed him to travel to Germany to complete the iconic King Ludwig’s Way.
Sam wants to show New Zealand that an MS diagnosis can be a positive in your life. Sure, there are challenges, and it can be tough, but with 4000 other MSies in NZ – you’re never alone. This condition can really help you to focus on and adapt your goals before achieving them.