Posted on 01/02/2009 2:01:13 PM PST by Bobalu
Rand Memorial Hospital in the Bahamas tells TMZ the son of John Travolta died today.
We're told 16-year-old Jett was vacationing with Travolta and wife Kelly Preston. We do not know the circumstances of his death.
There have been reports that Jett was autistic, though Travolta has denied it, saying he suffers from Kawasaki Syndrome, a condition which often leads to heart disease.
UPDATE: 4:00 PM ET -- Travolta's attorney Michael Ossi says Jett suffered a seizure at his family's vacation home at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful and he died on scene.
UPDATE: 4:40 PM ET -- Restview Memorial Mortuary and Crematorium in the Bahamas tells TMZ Jett's body would be transferred to Restview on Monday.
UPDATE 4:54 PM ET -- A police spokeswoman says Jett hit his head in a bathtub and apparently that triggered the seizure.
This trashing the Travolta's because of their beliefs when they are in great pain is petty and uncalled for, especially when it is based on gossip sites.
In order to protect our own right to worship, as we see fit in our own life, then we have to respect every persons right to worship as they see fit, even if we find that religion loathsome.
That makes me feel better, I always look in on my kids before I go to bed at night.
The latest article on yahoo says Kelly is very withdrawn, sounds like Travolta is having to handle everything.
My memorial for Jett:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-py7vo4bWU
First, not all children or adults with seizure disorders need to be medicated. Many times even once medicated if seizure free for three years they go off medications. At the same time, many children/adults have not found medications that work to control their seizures so in turn they are known to do the Ketogenic diet to help control seizures. This was truly an accident and not exactly one that could have been avoided. It is ridiculous for people to judge and place blame. My son has 5 seizure disorders and is very lucky that the combination of two medications work for him to enable him to be seizure free. however, he missed a couple of doses a few years ago (he felt he didn’t need them and tossed one of the pills) and had a grand mal seizure in school. Therefore, we do not allow him to come off his meds even though the past three years he has been seizure free. On the other hand, my son’s friend was on medications and was seizure free for 7 years and had a grandmal seizure while swimming and drowned. Another family I know whose child had a grand mal seizure and fell into a pond and drowned. Another family lost their daughter at 15 years old to a seizure and she did not have one since she was 3 years old and was no longer medicated. Please do not place blame on one’s faith or for certain, not on the grieving and loving parents.
My daughter was diagnosed with Kawasaki at 2-1/2 also. The worst part was how long it took for our family doctor to diagnose it, it was the first case she had seen of it. My daughter spent 5 days in the hospital being pumped with fluids. We were lucky, a pediatric heart specialist here is one of a few experts in the field, and he had seen many cases. We were always really careful about freshly shampooed carpets, not letting her around them, but she is almost 18 now and I was told that it is no longer a concern because she is too old for it to affect her any longer.
It was almost comforting to hear Kelly Preston talking about it. Most people looked at us and said she has what?
I can not imagine what they are going through, it is heartbreaking just thinking about it
It’s funny that the freepers with children with seizures are the ones most sympathetic to the Travolta’s.
I’m very thankful that it looks like my daughter’s seizures are under control, but we are also dealing with side effects of the medication.
At midnight last night, I went into her room. I couldn’t remember if we had given her the dose in the evening. She was awake reading, and she said she had taken it. I would have woken her up to ask her.
It’s really hard when you change your schedule to remember the medication. I’ll program my phone to remind me, but I don’t carry around my phone with me everywhere.
She’s been on medication for over a year, and we’ve never missed a dose, but I worry about missing a dose constantly.
My prayers to the Travoltas.
It’s very sad, I hate to see these things happen to anyone. My prayer is that this tragedy would somehow enlighten the Travolta’s to see that Scientology is a cult.
Seizure disorders require completely different medications and therapies than Autism. He might have had both, or he could have had brain damage, brought on by the seizures, that created symptoms similar to autism. It is completely impossible for anyone who is not a medical professional, and who has not physically examined the child to know what is wrong with him. Autism dx can take a long time, and even then they aren’t always 100 percent.
FYI. The Travoltas did get medical attention for their son. Kelly Preston had talked about meds for seizures, and Jett’s experience with Depakote, an anti seizure medication. Depakote controlled his seizures for several years until it stopped working.
You are accepting a dx from an unnamed source on a blog, that may not have ever examined this child. This may or may not be a correct diagnosis. You are jumping to the conclusion that Jett wasn’t given medical care, and his parents are responsible because they practice Scientology. You have no facts to back up your conclusions, yet you have blamed his death on the practice of this religion. Maybe it would be better to get some facts before placing blame for this child’s death???
My seizures went way down with the start of Depakote, I take 500 mgs 3 times a day along with Gabapentin 3 times a day for seizures and pain. I was on Dilantin for the longest time and still having seizures, even after having it administered by IV. I finally quit the Dilantin myself because of the side effects it was causing me on my skin. I have now had 1 seizure since I stopped the Dilantin, nasty stuff.
“I have now had 1 seizure since I stopped the Dilantin, nasty stuff.”
Should have read “Not had 1 seizure since I stopped the Dilantin”
Here is what I know AS FACT. Scientology does not recognize autism and those very familiar with autism and who had contact with Jett believed he had it.
I also belief that Joey Travolta ,who is also very familiar with autism, believed his nephew had it.
I hope this gets VERY CLOSE scrutiny as it should.
“...but posting gossip articles on a bereavement thread is very inappropriate.”
Sadly, this has become the norm lately.
People do have the right to free speech so they can say what they want. What disturbs me is the lack of consideration for the grieving who are reading this thread - to include the Travolta family and their friends.
Where are manners? Protocol? Etiquette?
Let these inconsiderate disruptors start their own threads.
Example: “So-and-so’s wife found dead - Analysis & Everything Else (no grieving)
People would probably say that my daughter has autism, but she doesn’t.
Yes, she has some of the same symptoms - communication problems, lack of eye contact, social problems, etc. However, she has a brain injury that has caused apraxia of speech (and seizures). The treatment for apraxia is very different than autism. In fact, autism therapy can make a child with apraxia have more problems.
Also, seizures can cause communication problems if the seizures are located in the speech part of the brain.
Unless his brother has seen Jett’s MRI and EEG and is a medical doctor, then he really isn’t qualified to know what is going on with his nephew. My brothers don’t know enough about my daughter’s medical issues to really understand her issues. They’ve never been to any of the multiple doctors appointments.
Here is a good article about Jett Travolta and seizures:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-01-04-seizures-qna_N.htm
Do you know what else can cause liver damage? Scientology’s detox program using niacin.
By the way, I thought a comment on TMZ was quite interesting. Kelly had a problem with toxic cleaning chemicals for carpets..yet..how far away from the house is that jet that they fire up.
Got any idea just how toxic that is?
And for those of you who don’t know...Dan Ackroyd was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.
And what did Kelly do with her son when she saw something was wrong?
She put him through the “Clean—Clear Body and Clear Mind” detox program.
NIACIN.
I am sure the parents dearly loved their son. I am sure they are heartbroken.
But I strongly believe their beliefs about Thetans and all the other crap that goes with Scientology harmed their son.
I hope his death blows the cover off this dangerous cult.
What caught my attention is in these young -- up to age 2 or so -- photos, he was very engaged in most of the pictures, looking at his parents, laughing and in some pictures I can vividly remember from People magazine during the period he was laughing and mischevious. People did a photoshoot at their California home when Jett was very young and they were in the pool playing and having a great time. At that period of their life Jett was not kept from the limelight as he has been in these last years of his life.
This makes me tend to believe there is something that happened to him around age two, as Kelly Travolta has always maintained, that caused the changes in him.
While I realize the walking on tip toes and other things "can" indicate autism, it is entirely possible the high fevers they described (from the sudden illness he was subjected to) could have caused the start of his seizures and even brain damage. People who have seen him may have "assumed" he was austic.
Fact is... we don't know. Only the Travolta family knows, and people who insist on posting unsubstantiated gossip at a time like this are being horribly cruel; and blaming his death on their religion is just as bad. I am not a fan of Scientology, not a fan of some other religions either, but I am not going to blame their religion on their sons death because one Freeper is on a tear to "expose" Scientology. The last time I checked, we still have the right to worship as we see fit in this country.
Walking on tip-toes is a big sign of cerebral palsy which is brain damage.
Something was definitely wrong with him. I feel sorry for the family.
What I have found being a seizure sufferer is that with all the wonders of medicine we have now, the medical world still can’t pinpoint the causes of seizures in some people. I have been to a few different doctors and neurologists, had many tests performed and no one can agree on what the cause is. They started a few months after a back surgery I had where I had to be re opened due to infection. Some doctors point to the infection. As my seizures continued I have now had a few doctors point towards stress as I have gone through a workman’s comp case, divorce, child custody battle and an unrelated medical problem that has landed me in the hospital where I have had seizures 3 times while hospitalized. They have basically given up on trying to discover why they are occurring and now just are content when I don’t have any that the treatment is working.
My daughter just had a blood test to check her liver function, and she has only been on seizure medication for a little over a year. The doctors are already concerned about it.
They seem to be very upfront about Jett having a problem with seizures.
Everything that has come out is very consistent with a child who has a seizure disorder.
I hope this helps awareness of seizures and the problems with medication and warning.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.