Adrenoleucodystrophy (ALD)
After watching the movie, we discussed the movie from several different angles. As a result, we have prepared the following summary of the movie as well as several thoughts regarding the movie.
Summary of Movie
Three months after Lorenzo Odone and his family moved to Washington D.C., he began to have behavioral problems that soon grew to include motor skill problems. After testing, he was diagnosed with adrenoleucodystrophy (ALD). ALD is an inherited metabolism disorder in which the enzyme to break down long chains of fat does not work. The fats build up in the brain and cause the myelin sheath around brain cells to liquefy. The brain declines to the point of death within two years.
Augusto and Michaela Odone were not given hope for treatment but they were offered a place in a diet trial that cut out long chain fat foods. Instead of reducing the long chain fat in Lorenzo's blood it increased it. A doctor suggested immunosuppression with chemo- therapy for one month. This was devastating to Lorenzo, not …show more content…
Al though the doctors didn't trust their findings, they decided to give the olive oil to Lorenzo. His long chain fats dropped fifty percent and then leveled off. Doctors and parents of ALD children were skeptical of their findings because they did not have a medical degree and/or training. Lorenzo's parents decided to look for the rest of the solution to reduce the long chain fats in his blood. Augusto realized the same enzymes, not different ones, regulated the fats. He found a chemist that could produce the rapeseed oil they hoped would trick the body into stopping production of the long chain fats. The doctors did not support his family officially, but some of them helped him unofficially. Augusto was disappointed that they didn't have the courage to challenge the status
Summary of Movie
Three months after Lorenzo Odone and his family moved to Washington D.C., he began to have behavioral problems that soon grew to include motor skill problems. After testing, he was diagnosed with adrenoleucodystrophy (ALD). ALD is an inherited metabolism disorder in which the enzyme to break down long chains of fat does not work. The fats build up in the brain and cause the myelin sheath around brain cells to liquefy. The brain declines to the point of death within two years.
Augusto and Michaela Odone were not given hope for treatment but they were offered a place in a diet trial that cut out long chain fat foods. Instead of reducing the long chain fat in Lorenzo's blood it increased it. A doctor suggested immunosuppression with chemo- therapy for one month. This was devastating to Lorenzo, not …show more content…
Al though the doctors didn't trust their findings, they decided to give the olive oil to Lorenzo. His long chain fats dropped fifty percent and then leveled off. Doctors and parents of ALD children were skeptical of their findings because they did not have a medical degree and/or training. Lorenzo's parents decided to look for the rest of the solution to reduce the long chain fats in his blood. Augusto realized the same enzymes, not different ones, regulated the fats. He found a chemist that could produce the rapeseed oil they hoped would trick the body into stopping production of the long chain fats. The doctors did not support his family officially, but some of them helped him unofficially. Augusto was disappointed that they didn't have the courage to challenge the status