Chapter: Spread of Joy
In 1984, Lorenzo Odone, only 6-years-old, was diagnosed with a disease so rare that nobody was working on a cure, so his father, Augusto Odone, decided to learn all about it and tackle the problem himself. Lorenzo’s father asked the doctor if he could read the available medical papers. He said: “Don’t bother, you won’t understand them”. Undeterred, Augusto spent night after night in the library scouring every single paper about his son’s illness. He discovered that the brain damage seemed to be linked to a buildup of dangerous, long chain fatty acids in the blood. Augusto invited all the worlds experts to a conference to discuss the research, and it was at the conference that he first found a glimpse of hope. An oil, oleic acid, was able to destroy the fatty acids.
Less than a year later Augusto and his wife Michaela had created a treatment for their son: A combination of oils that effectively reduced the long chain fatty acids in his blood. It was astonishing. Where the entire medical profession had failed, two ordinary parents had succeeded. Lorenzo’s Oil, as the treatment oil has been named, is showing a significant preventive effect. According to Dr. Hugo Moser, taking the oil reduces the chance of getting the disease by 50 percent.
On May 29, 2008, the family celebrated Lorenzo’s 30th birthday. Sadly, he died the next day. Lorenzo had then lived 22 years longer than doctors predicted when they diagnosed him with this incurable, degenerative disease of the nervous system at the age of six.
Possible Moral
There’s nothing like a parent’s love for their child, and due to their love Augusto and Michaela Odone created their own miracle. They chose not to give up and struggled to overcome the obstacles. Despite the negative circumstances they went to look for ways to develop a cure and eventually they triumphed over the disease that was slowly taking their son away from them. In the end, they didn’t only save their son but a lot of other people as well through their creation.
Story from We All Need Heroes: Stories of the Brave and Foolish.
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We All Need Heroes
Short StoryHey there! Here you'll find a collection of mixed stories from my debut book 'We All Need Heroes', which celebrates people with brave and innovative ideas. The finished book is filled with a huge mix of inspirational and fun short-stories of people...
