Actors - Lorenzo's Oil

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	Actors - Lorenzo's Oil

Lorenzo's Oil is a 1992 dramatic film directed by George Miller. It is based on the true story of Augusto and Michaela Odone, two parents in a relentless search for a cure for their son Lorenzo's adrenoleukodystrophy.

Plot

Failing to find a doctor capable of treating their young son Lorenzo's rare disease, Augusto and Michaela Odone seek their own cure. They set out on a mission to find a treatment and save their child. In their quest for a treatment the Odones often clashed with doctors, scientists, and support groups, who were skeptical that anything could be done about ALD, much less by laypeople. But they persisted, setting up camp in medical libraries, reviewing animal experiments, badgering researchers, questioning top doctors all over the world, and even organizing an international symposium about the disease. Despite dead ends of research, the horror of watching their son's health decline, and being surrounded by skeptics, they persisted until they finally hit upon a therapy involving adding a certain kind of oil (a specific combination of two naturally occurring oils) to their son's diet. They contacted over 100 firms around the world until they found an elderly British chemist who was willing to take on the challenge of distilling the proper formula. It proved successful in normalizing the accumulation of the very long chain fatty acids in the brain that were causing their son's steady decline, thereby halting the progression of the disease. There was still a great deal of neurological damage remaining which could not be reversed until new treatments are found to regenerate the myelin sheath around the nerves, and that was where the movie ended, with Lorenzo at the age of 12 showing definite improvement (he could swallow for himself, and indicate yes or no by blinking his eyes), but that more medical research was still needed.

The film ends on a positive note, showing several healthy children who, having followed a course of treatment with Lorenzo's Oil, remained symptom-free. The conclusion relates that Lorenzo can communicate again by a modified sign language, and that Augusto Odone was awarded an honorary Ph.D. for his pioneering work in researching and discovering a significant treatment for ALD.

In the second chapter of the story, the Odones founded The Myelin Project in the hope of finding a way to restore the myelin sheath, which is destroyed in ALD and a host of other myelin diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. If this vital substance can be restored, patients like Lorenzo may regain function and eventually lead a normal life.

Cast

Nick Nolte
as Augusto Odone
Susan Sarandon
as Michaela Odone (nominated for Best Actress Oscar)
Zack O'Malley Greenburg as Lorenzo Odone
Peter Ustinov
as Prof. Gus Nikolais
Kathleen Wilhoite
as Deirdre Murphy
Gerry Bamman as Dr. Judalon
Margo Martindale as Wendy Gimble
James Rebhorn
as Ellard Muscatine
Ann Hearn as Loretta Muscatine
Maduka Steady as Omuori
Mary Wakio as Comorian Teacher
Don Suddaby as himself
Colin Ward as Jake Gimble
Latanya Richardson
as Nurse Ruth
Jennifer Dundas as Nurse Nancy Jo
John McBon as Hat Collector
William Cameron as Pellerman

The real-life family

The father, Augusto Odone, continues to work at the Myelin Project Headquarters in Virginia.

The mother, Michaela Odone, died of cancer in June 2000.

The son, Lorenzo Odone, is still alive, and celebrated his 27th birthday on May 29, 2005. As of 2001, he was living in Virginia and still in contact with his friend and caretaker Oumouri.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Lorenzo's Oil ]

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