Aahana Swrup
Netflix’s ‘Lucca’s World’ (originally titled ‘Los Dos Hemisferios de Lucca’) is a heartwarming story about a mother’s dedicated attempts to ensure the best life for her son, who is born with a life-altering condition. Bárbara Anderson’s oldest son, Lucca, is born with Infantile Cerebral Palsy, a brain development disorder that soon begins to pose a threat to the kid’s quality of life. As a result, when the mother hears about an experimental treatment in India that promises great improvement, she makes up her mind to get her son access to this treatment. Thus, despite the complications of such a daunting international trip, Bárbara takes on the job of making the seemingly miraculous Cytotron a part of her son’s future.
Directed by Mariana Chenillo, this Spanish film delves into the life of a young kid with a disability whose family rallies behind him through thick and thin. A particular focus is shed on his mother, Bárbara, who is prepared to move hell and high water to get her son every opportunity that he deserves. Therefore, the story’s moving themes of familial love, chronic disability complications, and tenacious motherhood must have resonated with the audience enough to pique their interest in Lucca and his story’s origins in real life.
Lucca’s World is Based on Barbara Anderson’s Autobiographical Book
‘Lucca’s World’ is a dramatized adaptation of Barbara Anderson’s book ‘The Two Hemispheres of Lucca.’ The Spanish novel, published in 2019, is the journalist’s first foray into writing and serves as an autobiographical account of her experience as a mother of a child with a disability. Since Lucca was born and diagnosed with cerebral palsy, his mother diligently kept up with health news and updates to ensure she could look for alternatives to make life easier for her son. Therefore, shortly after it came on the radar, the mother learned about Cytotron, a magnetic resonator device that could potentially help out Lucca.
Through a contact at Harvard, Anderson was able to reach out to Dr. Rajah Kumar, the inventor of Cytotron. From there, she, her husband, Andres, and their kids, Lucca and Bruno, decided to undertake a trip to India in 2017 to try out the experimental treatment. The trip was financially formidable and came with its own set of complications. Nonetheless, the Andersons didn’t let anything deter them from their chosen path. During this time, the journalist kept a detailed journal of the trip, penning down every medical advancement in her son’s life. These entries eventually helped her write her debut novel and share her family’s story with the world.
The initial 28-day Cytotron treatment ultimately ended up working wonders for Lucca, who was one of the first people in the world to test the device in regard to regenerating neurons and repairing neurological damage. In fact, the treatment helped him develop the ability to speak, and his first words were the name of the inventor, Kumar. Mariana Chenillo’s film, with a screenplay by Javier Peñalosa, encapsulates the wonder of this first trip to India undertaken by the Anderson family. It highlights the medical nuances of Lucca’s story while also shining a light on the emotionally raw family dynamics that made this incredible treatment possible for the young boy.
As such, despite the occasional departure from reality, ‘Lucca’s World’ remains an authentic and accurate version of the Anderson family’s true story to the screen. In a conversation with Netflix, Anderson spoke about her experience with the film. She said, “Watching yourself in a movie is very difficult to explain; I cried when I saw us being again. Listening to Bárbara Mori and Juan Pablo Medina’s voices, with my timbre or with Andrés, my husband’s stock phrases—I saw us being other people, and my body froze. As they often say (that) reality outdoes fiction, this time fiction catapulted our life to another level.”
The Cytotron is a Real Device That Can be Used in Cancer Treatment
While the central focus in ‘Lucca’s World’ undoubtedly remains on the Anderson family and their narrative, the film also brings the groundbreaking machine, Cytotron’s real-life influence, into the light. The Cytotron is an actual machine created by Dr. Rajah Vijay Kumar, a scientist from Banglore. Kumar began his research into creating the machine as far back as 1987 and produced the first prototype in 1999. Through it all, the doctor always intended for the machine to be used in cancer treatments. It began its commercial utilization in 2006 as a tool for tissue engineering. In 2012, Cytotron was approved for clinical use under the CE (Conformité Européenne) Mark.
Furthermore, Lucca Anderson’s treatment played a crucial role in bringing the revolutionary technology to Mexico. After his case, the Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, a Child health care center in Mexico City, was able to acquire one of the machines. Reportedly, Barabara Anderson made a notable contribution to making this reality come true. Today, Cytotron continues to be an effective tool for tumor diagnoses and in the treatment of tumors and tissues. In 2017, Kumar’s innovative invention resulted in his recognition as one of the Top Ten Scientists in India.
Lucca Anderson Continues Living Life to the Fullest
Since his initial Cytotron treatment in 2017, Lucca Anderson has undergone the treatment three more times through trips to India. As a result, he has been epilepsy free for five years and has taken his first steps into walking and talking. He’s also currently in elementary school alongside his younger brother, Bruno. He continues undertaking new adventures with his family—be it celebrating small milestones, such as birthdays and holidays, or exciting new experiences, such as a meeting with a giraffe!
As such, Lucca’s life continues to be filled with regular teenage joy—from finding a new favorite food—a Guerrero Chilate—to enjoying big and small moments with his parents and his brother. Recently, he also had the surreal experience of walking the red carpet with his family for the big screen premier of ‘Lucca’s World.’ Thus, it remains evident that the young boy is prepared to face life’s many eccentricities with the love and care of his devoted family beside him.
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