Father Who Created Lorenzo's Oil to Save Son Dies at Age 80 in Italy

Augusto Odone, the creator of an oil which helped save the life of his young boy Lorenzo who had a neurological disease, has passed away at the age of 80, according to the Associated Press.

Odone, is a former World Bank economist but is well-known for the creating an oil concoction for his son which was comprised of natural cooking oils. Odone and his late wife, Michaela, tried relentlessly to come up with a solution for their son. Lorenzo was diagnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy, or ALD, a neurological disease that progressively destroys the brains of young boys.

Augusto Odone, died on Thursday in his native Italy, five years after the death of his son Lorenzo, who astonished doctors by surviving decades longer than they predicted. His parents had cared for him at home as he became paralyzed and lost the ability to talk, needing 24-hour care.

Odone was survived by his daughter Cristina who told the Associated Press on Friday that her father had died in Acqui Terme, a town in northwestern Italy in the area where he grew up. Odone had lived there for many years after suffering from a range of medical problems and had died of organ failure precipitated by a lung infection.

"What was so remarkable about my father is that he would never accept a death sentence, either for his own son or for himself," she said. "He was supposed to die eight years ago, six years ago, four years ago. Till the very end, he would not accept either medical wisdom or a death sentence that nature would impose."

After Lorenzo passed away, Augusto Odone returned to his home region of Italy and wrote a book, "Lorenzo and His Parents."