...First Do No Harm is a 1997 American drama television film produced and directed by Jim Abrahams, written by Ann Beckett, and starring Meryl Streep, Fred Ward, and Seth Adkins.

The family is presented as happy, normal, and comfortable financially: they have just bought a horse and are planning a holiday to Hawaii.

Robbie is taken to the hospital where several procedures are performed: a CT scan, a lumbar puncture, an electroencephalogram (EEG) and blood tests.

Robbie is started on phenobarbital, an old anticonvulsant drug with well-known side effects including cognitive impairment and behavior problems.

Family tensions reach a head when the children realize the holiday is not going to happen and a foreclosure notice is posted on the house.

This drug is described as having possibly fatal side effects and is seen dramatically melting a plastic cup (a glass syringe is required).

The neurologist in charge of Robbie's care, Dr. Melanie Abbasac, has a poor bedside manner and paints a bleak picture.

After initially refusing to consider the diet, she appears to relent but sets impossible hurdles in the way: the Reimullers must find a way to transport their son to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland with continual medical support—something they cannot afford.

That evening, Lori attempts to abduct her son from the hospital and, despite the risk, flies with him to an appointment she has made with a doctor at Johns Hopkins.

When they arrive at Johns Hopkins, it becomes apparent that Lori has deceived her friends as her appointment (for the previous week) was not rescheduled and there are no places on the ketogenic diet program.