Obituary: Lorenzo Odone

Spirited as a child, he developed ALD and became the inspiration behind Lorenzo's oilMy brother Lorenzo Odone, who has died of pneumonia a day after his 30th birthday, became famous worldwide as the inspiration behind Lorenzo's oil. The oil, a therapy for sufferers of adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a debilitating and ultimately fatal condition, was discovered in 1990 by his parents, Michaela and Augusto Odone. Two years later, their extraordinary achievement - neither had any medical training - was turned into the Hollywood movie Lorenzo's Oil, directed by George Miller and starring Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte.Lorenzo was born in Washington DC; he was Augusto's third child but his only offspring with Michaela, his second wife. Soon after his third birthday, Lorenzo moved with his family to the Comoro Islands, in the Indian Ocean. Augusto, an economist with the World Bank, had been sent to the archipelago to set up the Comoros Republic's first financial plan. Michaela had given up her job as a publishing editor when her son was born.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Medical research Genetics Health Society Science Film World news US news Culture Biology Source Type: news