Lorenzo's Oil Essay

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Lorenzo's Oil is a 1992 American drama/docudrama directed by George Miller, and created in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Major stars featured in this film are: Susan Sarandon (Michaela Odone), Nick Nolte (Augusto Odone), Peter Ustinov (professor Nikolais), and Zack O'Malley Greenburg (Lorenzo Odone). This film is based on the true story about a heartbreaking, and relentless search for the cure of adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). Lorenzo Odone is a bright, multilingual boy growing up in the Comoro Islands; his father Augusto Odone works for the World Bank, and was stationed there. When his parents relocate back to the United States, he begins to show early symptoms of ALD which include: tantrums, loss of hearing, and lack of balance. As his symptoms …show more content…

ALD is the degeneration of the brain, and causes the body to lose functions due to over saturated fats. It is also only carried in female chromosomes, and can only be passed onto the son. This led to his parent’s quest to discover treatments for their son, and involved organizing an international symposium. Doctors recommend that they cut out fatty acids in Lorenzo’s diet. This only caused his C24 and C26 levels to continue to rise. After persistent research, Augusto and Michaela discover a study that used long chain fatty acids on rats, and they decide to incorporate this oil into Lorenzo’s diet. They believe that this fatty acid manipulation would change the composition of fatty acids, and reduce Lorenzo’s C24 and C26 levels to normal. Despite the consumption of oleic acid,

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