Lorenzo's Oil - Essay Example

Lorenzos Oil Inserts His/Her Inserts Grade Inserts 16 April Outline ALD and its Effects on the Family and Nursing Practitioners
Thesis: Nurses must always maintain a kind, friendly, and polite demeanor with all their patients regardless of their personal beliefs. These are traits that are part of the nursing process and are
Introduction
A. Lorenzos Oil (1992) is an in-depth look at the way ALD patients are treated and viewed by both their family and healthcare professionals.
B. The movie focuses on the early stages and advanced development of the illness.
C. The movie highlights the research into the medical treatment and testing protocols that are connected with the treatment of ALD.
I. Body
A. The Family as an Inspirational Unit
B. Attitude of the Healthcare Workers
C. Memorable Scenes From the Movie
II. Conclusion
A. Based on the movie, Lorenzos Oil shows us that there is no such thing as parents will stop at nothing to save their childs life. They will become their childs doctor if it means giving the child a chance at a normal or somewhat normal life.
B. The movie emphasizes the struggle of parents to get the proper medical care for their child in a medical community that does not care to really look into developing a cure for the illness.
C. The movie clearly shows the mistakes made by the home care nurses and how it affects the family of the patient.
Lorenzos Oil
Introduction
Lorenzos Oil is a 1992 movie that depicts the circumstances surrounding the development of the Olive and Rapeseed oil extract that is used in the treatment of ALD patients. It also chronicles the life of Lorenzo Odone, the little boy whose ALD affliction led to his parents discovery of the treatment protocol that would help save other ALD patients lives in the future. Also featured as an important aspect of this film is the way that the home care nurses treated their patient whom they knew was an invalid. Their negativism was poisonous to the childs environment and contributed to the undue stress that the child and the family were already experiencing.
The Family as an Inspirational Unit
The main thing that inspired me about the family in this movie was the fact that they never allowed anyone to tell them what they could and could not do for their son. The Odones are the epitome of parents who put everything on the line in order to give their son a life. Granted that it may have not been a life that the boy would have chosen for himself and maybe, the boy at a certain point was already begging to die, but what kind of person would give up on his own life when his own family has fought so hard to keep him alive? Lorenzo himself was an inspiration as he bravely battled his physical and inner demons in order to continue with his life and his mission. Unbeknownst to the boy, he became a symbol of hope for all those suffering from ALD and his own family was a beacon of light for those who needed more than just medical jargon being spouted at them.
Attitude of the Home Care Nurses
It is because of this positive attitude of the Odones that I was saddened to see Lorenzos two medical nurses display such unprofessional behavior while caring for him. A nurse is by profession a care giver. A person who helps care for those who are ill and assist the family in dealing with their already trying situation. It is never the place of the nurse to dictate to the parents of the patient regarding what kind of medical treatment they think the patient should be having. A nurse should also display an uncanny sense of empathy for the ill and his parents. The attitude of the second nurse in the movie was something that should be disapproved of by any parent. Whether the patient is conscious of his position and condition or not, the latter should always be assumed and the patient should be treated accordingly. Even a comatose patient feels pain though he is unable to articulate it.
Memorable Scenes From the Movie
As far as I am concerned, there is no one single scene in the movie that can be chosen as the most memorable. That is because the movie itself leaves a different kind of mark upon the viewer. Whether you are an ALD parent or not, the reality is that the movie tells the true story of despair, acceptance, the search for answers, battling the odds, and finally overcoming the roadblocks set before them by nature and science. This family faced tremendous adversity and through their own willpower, cunning, and ability, they were able to save the life of their own son and in the process, saved thousands of other lives across the world in the process.
Conclusion
A parent whose child has his life on the line will do anything in order to save his life. The Odone family is living proof of that commitment between a parent and a child. Through their example, parents around the world learned that they have a voice that must be heard in the medical treatment of their child. It is the parents right to pursue all possible avenues of treatment even if it means that they have to go rogue and experiment with the treatments themselves. What matters is that the parents do something, anything, to help ease the childs suffering. If all parents were like the Odones we would not have any Orphan Drug cases in our medical world.
It is also important to note that although home care nurses are an integral part of medical home-care, they have a duty to uphold and that is to insure the comfort of the patient and be a friendly face and adviser of the family. They are not to display any sort of distaste nor disapproval of anything that the parent of the child wishes to do. Their place is merely to offer guidance and assistance. They do not have the right to judge nor dictate what course of action the parents should take in the care of their child.
References
Miller, George (Producer). Miller, George (Director). (1992). Lorenzos Oil. United States: Universal Pictures. Read More