Parkinson's Disease In The Movie 'Awakenings'

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Leonard Lowe, who was played by Robert de Niro, was one of the main characters in the movie ‘Awakenings’. As early as childhood he showed signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease which was later revealed as encephalitis lethargica. The leading theory on the cause of encephalitis lethargica is that the disease results from a strong immune system reaction to an infection by bacterium related to streptococcus. Researchers have found that antibodies have bound themselves to neurons in the basal ganglia and midbrain in encephalitis lethargica (EL) patients. (Clapper, A., n.d.) Dr. Sayer, who was played by Robin Williams, was applying for a job at the hospital where Leonard was confined, although Dr. Sayer he was not able to work with human patients…show more content…
Prior to being in a deep sleep for a substantial period of time, he was the one who saw the true value of living life to the fullest and making the most out of anything while still given. The inevitable cannot be avoided: diseases, poverty, starvation, earthquakes, typhoons, death, loneliness, or even happiness, these are matters beyond any human’s control and concern. But what lies before, in between and after these is the one that needs appreciation and assertion. Patients in the movie suffered from a deep sleep because of their condition, consequently every individual is also in the state of sleep (neglect) but what is worse is staying asleep while being awake at the same time. People are in a constant state of limbo, and if not treated immediately like encephalitis lethargica, this so-called state of nowhere can lead to the dispossession of the one thing that is owned by all, yet uniquely possessed by every individual: life. The concept of this word is not just a thought; it is an immense interpretation of knowledge, purpose and freedom, concise into one:
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