Jett Travolta, Son Of John Travolta, Dies In Bahamas
While vacationing in the Bahamas with his parents and younger sister, Jett Travolta, the sixteen-year-old son of actor and Scientologist John Travolta, died after apparently suffering a seizure and hitting his head on a bathtub:
John Travolta’s teenage son, Jett, died in the Bahamas after apparently suffering a seizure and hitting his head at his family’s vacation home, authorities said Friday. A house caretaker found Jett, 16, unconscious in a bathroom late Friday morning. He was taken by ambulance to a Freeport hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Police Superintendent Basil Rahming said in a statement.
The teenager had last been seen entering the bathroom on Thursday and had a history of seizures, according to the statement. An autopsy is planned. [...]
Preston has said that Jett became very sick when he was 2 years old and was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, an illness that leads to inflammation of the blood vessels in young children. She blamed household cleaners and fertilizers, and said that a detoxification program based on teachings from the Church of Scientology helped improve his health, according to People magazine.
It is unclear whether Jett was taking any medications for his seizures.
The Scientology Celebrity Center in Los Angeles declined to comment. Both Travolta and Preston are practicing Scientologists.
A spokeswoman for Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport said she could not release any information because of privacy concerns.
It seems that Jett was last seen entering the bathroom sometime yesterday (Thursday) and was discovered at 10:00 AM today (Friday) by a caretaker.
Kawasaki disease or syndrome, which Jett allegedly contracted at the age of two, is a disorder which affects, among others, the heart, skin, mucous membranes, and lymph nodes:
The cardiac complications are, by far, the most important aspect of the disease. Kawasaki disease can cause vasculitic changes (inflammation of blood vessels) in the coronary arteries and subsequent coronary artery aneurysms. These aneurysms can lead to myocardial infarction (heart attack) even in young children. Overall, about 10–18% of children with Kawasaki disease develop coronary artery aneurysms with much higher prevalence among patients who are not treated early in the course of illness. Kawasaki disease and rheumatic fever are most common causes of acquired heart disease among children in the United States.
Kawasaki disease often begins with a high and persistent fever that is not very responsive to normal doses of paracetamol (acetaminophen) or ibuprofen. The fever may persist steadily for up to two weeks and is normally accompanied by irritability. Affected children develop red eyes, red mucous membranes in the mouth, red cracked lips, a “strawberry tongue”, iritis, keratic precipitates (detectable by an ophthalmologist but usually too small to be seen by the unaided eye), and swollen lymph nodes. Skin rashes occur early in the disease, and peeling of the skin in the genital area, hands, and feet (especially around the nails and on the palms and soles) may occur in later phases. Some of these symptoms may come and go during the course of the illness. If left untreated, the symptoms will eventually relent, but coronary artery aneurysms will not improve, resulting in a significant risk of death or disability due to myocardial infarction (heart attack). If treated in a timely fashion, this risk can be mostly avoided and the course of illness cut short.
- High-grade fever (greater than 39 °C or 102 °F; often as high as 40 °C or 104 °F) that normally lasts for more than 5 days if left untreated.
- Red eyes (conjunctivitis) without pus or drainage, also known as “conjunctival injection”
- Bright red, chapped, or cracked lips
- Red mucous membranes in the mouth
- Strawberry tongue, white coating on the tongue or prominent red bumps (papillae) on the back of the tongue
- Red palms of the hands and the soles of the feet
- Swollen hands and feet
- Rash which may take many forms, but not vesicular (blister-like), on the trunk
- Swollen lymph nodes (frequently only one lymph node is swollen), particularly in the neck area
- Joint pain (arthralgia) and swelling, frequently symmetrical
- Irritability
- Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)
- Peeling (desquamation) palms and soles (later in the illness); peeling may begin around the nails
- Beau’s lines (transverse grooves on nails)
Treatment should ideally begin soon after diagnosis to prevent damage to the coronary arteries, and regular checkups should continue, including EKGs:
Children with Kawasaki disease should be hospitalized and cared for by a physician who has experience with this disease. When in an academic medical center, care is often shared between pediatric cardiology and pediatric infectious disease specialists (although no specific infectious agent has been identified yet). It is imperative that treatment be started as soon as the diagnosis is made to prevent damage to the coronary arteries.
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is the standard treatment for Kawasaki disease and is administered in high doses with marked improvement usually noted within 24 hours. If the fever does not respond, an additional dose may have to be considered. IVIG by itself is most useful within the first 7 days of onset of fever, in terms of preventing coronary artery aneurysm. [...]
With early treatment, rapid recovery from the acute symptoms can be expected and the risk of coronary artery aneurysms greatly reduced. Untreated, the acute symptoms of Kawasaki disease are self-limited (i.e. the patient will recover eventually), but the risk of coronary artery involvement is much greater. Overall, about 2% of patients die from complications of coronary vasculitis. Patients who have had Kawasaki disease should have an echocardiogram initially every few weeks, and then every 1–2 years to screen for progression of cardiac involvement.
It is also not uncommon that a relapse of symptoms may occur soon after initial treatment with IVIG. This usually requires re-hospitalization and retreatment. Treatment with IVIG can cause allergic and non-allergic acute reactions, aseptic meningitis, fluid overload and, rarely, other serious reactions. Aspirin may increase the risk of bleeding from other causes and may be associated with Reye’s syndrome. Overall, life-threatening complications resulting from therapy for Kawasaki disease are exceedingly rare, especially compared with the risk of non-treatment.
However, it was questioned as to whether Jett actually contracted the disease. It has been speculated as well that Jett was also autistic, or that he had autism instead of Kawasaki disease; however, he was never shown to be diagnosed with autism either.
It is unknown at this point just what caused the seizure; Jett was known to suffer from seizures. People dealing with autism often suffer seizures, sometimes related to epilepsy, although not all do; while some autistic children do suffer from epileptic seizures, the complications of Kawasaki disease can sometimes cause aneurysms and heart attacks:
Dr. Scott Alenick, a pediatric cardiologist in New Jersey, told FOXNews.com in an interview last year that Kawasaki disease is a condition that affects children, especially boys under the age of 5, and causes aneurysms and blockages in the blood vessels.
“We usually see it in the winter, but it can occur year-round,” Alenick, who has treated hundreds of cases of Kawasaki disease, said. “It is very unusual to die from Kawasaki disease.”
According to the American Heart Association, more than 4,000 cases of the disease are diagnosed annually in the United States. It occurs more often in boys of Japanese and Korean descent, but has been identified in children of all ethnicities and races, Alenick said.
While the condition is not preventable, it is treatable with most children recovering from the disease. In fact, less than 1 percent of Kawasaki cases are fatal.
The danger of Kawasaki syndrome is that it can cause large aneurysms in the blood vessels that feed blood to the heart, said Alenick.
“Kawasaki doesn’t come in degrees of severity, but it varies in that it may cause no aneurysms, small aneurysms, moderate aneurysms or giant aneurysms,” he said. “Giant aneurysms are more common in babies. But it’s the aneurysms that form in the vessels and the arteries that feed the heart that have the potential to cause a fatal heart attack.”
And Jett’s mother Kelly Preston herself admitted that at one point when Jett was young she thought he might die:
In a 2003 interview on the Montel Williams show, Preston talked about her son’s struggle with Kawasaki disease. “It causes swelling in the organs, so your heart can swell, different important organs can swell,” she said. “We thought at one point we were going to lose him.”
She also said that she started detoxing him with the help of a program outlined by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology:
In her 2003 TV interview with Montel Williams, Kelly Preston talked about how she detoxed her son Jett with Scientology methods after he was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease. Kelly said: “Initially I had a friend of mine…an environmental scientist and a toxicologist, go through our home and tell us exactly what was going on in the home. It wasn’t only the carpet. We had lots of cleansers under the sink. We were using all sorts of chemicals.”
Kelly says she started Jett on a detox program called Clean–Clear Body and Clear Mind,” an L. Ron Hubbard program. Hubbard is the founder of Scientology.
“This is a program that’s detailed in the (Hubbard) book,” Kelly told Montel. ” We basically store all of these chemicals and poisons and toxins that you breathe, eat, that you’re around constantly. Radiation from the [sun], you store it in your fatty tissues. And over the years it builds up and this is a program of how you can detoxify it completely and purify your body. It’s brilliant.”
Being that Scientology doesn’t allow for the possibility of autism, doctor visits, epilepsy, medicinal therapy, or regular physician checkups, we may never know just what happened to Jett Travolta. I am not the Scientology expert that Dawn is, and I’m sure that she will be here later to fill in whatever I may have missed or gotten wrong. I apologize for anything I may have gotten confused or incorrect.
However easy it might be right now to point fingers of blame and accusation, I believe that at the moment it would do all of us well to remember that a young boy has died before his life really began and that he had many people who loved him and will miss him.
UPDATE: TMZ is reporting that Jett died not as a result of a seizure, but from hitting his head:
We’ve spoken with John Travolta’s lawyer and close friend, Michael McDermott, and family attorney Michael Ossi, both of whom are with John in the Bahamas. They tell TMZ it appears Jett’s fatal injury was the result of hitting his head on the bathtub, toilet seat, or both. And they say the intimation that Jett went undiscovered for hours is absolutely false.
Police have said the last time anyone saw Jett was when he went to the bathroom on January 1. His body was discovered by nanny Jeff Kathrein the next day at 10 AM. In fact, McDermott and Ossi say it appears Jett went back and forth to his room and the fatal injury occurred “very shortly” before Jett was found on the bathroom floor — McDermott called it a “small window of time.”
McDermott and Ossi tell us two nannies were present on the trip and Jeff was by his side 24/7. There was a baby monitor device by Jett’s side and there was also a chimer in the bathroom when the door opened.
McDermott and Ossi say it is still unclear if Jett fell to the floor as a result of a seizure or if he had a seizure after falling or slipping. There was blood on the floor of the bathroom, but “not a tremendous amount.” It appears the striking of Jett’s head was the cause of death, though it won’t be clear until the autopsy is performed Monday morning.
Jett’s body will be embalmed Monday afternoon. There will be a local showing on Tuesday and later that day the body will be flown to Ocala, Fla. for burial.
McDermott says both John and Kelly are night owls. John often goes to sleep at around 5 AM. But McDermott says both nannies were at the hotel and Jeff always present.
McDermott tells us a hotel manager was first on scene with Jeff and the two of them administered CPR. John came in shortly thereafter and John took over for a “substantial period of time [and] was performing CPR and continued that until EMT came and took over.”
CoS spin might be taking hold now, so I do wonder about the authenticity.
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My heart goes out to Jett’s family, friends and loved ones. It is always a shame when someone so young leaves so soon. May he rest in peace.
Comment by delilahbrat — January 2, 2009 @ 11:54 pm
It makes for quite an interesting story, and I am sure this is going to be in the news for a good while.
It is sad, although ther has been much said about Jett Travolta having Autism instrad of Kawasaki Disease, one look at the symptoms and you tend to agree (http://www.kawasaki-syndrome.com/info/what-is-kawasaki-syndrome/).
Anther find, and this might be a little biased
This might be a little biased, but an interesting look at the rejection of Autism by Scientology
“In the past there have been reports that Jett was autistic, but Travolta always denied it, saying instead that his son suffered from Kawasaki Syndrome, a disease characterized by high fever, skin rash and swelling of the lymph nodes. Travolta follows Scientology, which does not recognize autism.”
Source: http://www.nowpublic.com/health/jett-travolta-victim-autism-kawasaki-or-scientology
Comment by Storm — January 3, 2009 @ 12:05 am
Consider the lengths that Scientology will go to control this story.
And how much do you think the organization will make the family pay to undergo “counseling” that will clear all the negative emotions surrounding por Jett’s death?
Did you guess $1,000 an hour?
http://www.endthecult.com/2009/01/a-former-scientologist-on-jett-travolta/
Comment by N — January 3, 2009 @ 2:08 am
There is no way to “prove” if Jett was autistic. Autism is not something anyone can just run a test for. It’s got genetic components, but it’s not as simple as a test for, say, Down Syndrome, where there’s a very clear and obvious chromosomal abnormality that can be easily spotted. Autism is diagnosed by behavioural specialists including speech therapists, pediatricians, and, that thing that Scientology would certainly never allow for, psychologists. And now that Jett is gone, there’s no way that’s ever going to happen (not that it would have, anyway).
In any case, I feel very deeply saddened by this news. My heart goes out to the Travoltas, no matter what I think of their religious beliefs. Losing a child is tragic and heartbreaking.
Comment by Exyank — January 3, 2009 @ 2:16 am
Sorry, perhaps “proven” wasn’t the right choice of words. I was trying to get this out quickly and maybe I didn’t pick my words right. I meant more that it was never shown that he had been tested for or diagnosed with any form of autism at any point in his life. I have two nephews with autism, I realize it is very wide-ranging and variable in its diagnosis, symptoms, the ways it manifests itself, and the ways to deal with it.
Comment by k — January 3, 2009 @ 2:28 am
John Travolta has looked like a tortured soul for a loooong time now.
Sange Gupda (sp?) on CNN tonight said he didn’t think Kawasaki syndrome had anything to do it. It might effect his heart but not his brain and since he had a seizure…
I will say a prayer for them all.
Comment by terryforma — January 3, 2009 @ 2:55 am
This is a very sad story. Perhaps Jett’s Dad will see the light regarding scientology and it’s rejection of medication. I happen to have a son with seizures and I know that it’s possible to help control them with diet, kinda like the Atkin’s diet, but even then, people can experience “breakthrough” seizures, which if aren’t stopped can be fatal, in our son’s case “rectal valium” is what we must use when they do occur. Also our neurologist had told us about a patient of his that died in the bathtub as his mom went to answer the phone, so it would seem to be common practice to know the person got out of the bath safely. Jett allegedly was seen the previous evening entering the bathroom then wasn’t found until 10am the next morning, according to what I’ve read…. so someone dropped the ball obviously. This story is so upsetting to me. I’m no member of anonymous or anything, but the information I’ve read about scientology over the last year has lead me to believe that it is a greedy cult that eventually drives people to be paranoid or really strange and defensive about their beliefs. RIP Jett, I’ve been worried about you for a long time. I hope Kelly and John can grieve in privacy, and find peace within their own hearts:(
Comment by interested — January 3, 2009 @ 3:29 am
Much about this doesn’t quite add up…for one thing, why was he not seen from “some time” Thursday until 10 AM Friday? I know when I go to bed at night I always check on my kids, but that’s just me.
And bathrooms are slick places…maybe he slipped and fell. Unless they have other evidence to think that he had a seizure, I’m wondering if maybe it was something else entirely that wasn’t related to KS or seizures. But that’s just conjecture on my part.
I’d always hoped John would get out of the CoS, maybe now he will see it for what it is.
Comment by k — January 3, 2009 @ 4:04 am
[...] Source: k [...]
Pingback by Celebrity Blog | Babelogs | Celebrity Gossip » Blog Archive » Jett Travolta, Son Of John Travolta, Dies In Bahamas — January 3, 2009 @ 9:20 am
This is so very sad and one can only feel sympathy for the loved ones of this young man. Having said that, it’s also very disturbing to me, as has been mentioned here, that no one checked on this boy who allegedly had physical/mental problems, after he went into the bathroom, or before they went to bed that night, and not even first thing in the early a.m. the next day! So very sad.
Looking forward to the investegative posts that will be printed here as the offical investigation advances in the coming week(s).
Comment by Jannah — January 3, 2009 @ 1:25 pm
I have a question that hopefully someone better versed in Scientology can answer (I fully admit that I am not as knowledgeable as Dawn is on the subject). It is being said that there will be an autopsy, but is that something Scientology will allow to happen? I know there are certain laws regarding when and if autopsies are performed in certain types of deaths, so I’d think that if they didn’t, the law of the land would override them. TMZ is saying the autopsy will happen on Monday morning, before Jett’s body is shipped back to Florida on Tuesday. They will still be in the Bahamas and away from the CoS epicenter.
Sad, very sad.
Comment by k — January 3, 2009 @ 2:18 pm
Poor kid.
Comment by J.R. LeMar — January 3, 2009 @ 4:43 pm
I can certainly see Scientology trying to avoid an autopsy but Bahamian law may trump that. (And I would think the Travoltas would wish to know exactly what happened)
I’ve always like Travolta and he obviously loved his child; it’s very sad that from all appearances this was an autistic child who was never given the chance to reach his full potential.
Comment by Rachel — January 3, 2009 @ 6:02 pm
This is so incredibly sad. I will be praying for the family.
Comment by Blessings From Above — January 3, 2009 @ 6:06 pm
L. Ron Hubbard himself had an autopsy.
Comment by Mary Jane Jones — January 3, 2009 @ 7:03 pm
I wasn’t sure…since they don’t do the whole doctor thing, I wasn’t sure if they liked autopsies.
How sad that this poor boy never truly had a chance at life. If there is anything good that comes out of this, I hope it is that John and Kelly finally wake up and make some changes to their lives. I believe John truly loved his son but was misled by the cult. Here’s an interesting article discussing the Travolta family and their efforts to help Jett.
Comment by k — January 4, 2009 @ 12:04 am
There are now reports circulating that Kelly Preston had another son before she married Travolta and he was mentally disabled as well. Allegedly her parents had to sue for custody of the boy at some point as KP did not want him to have any medications or pshyciatric treatment. All reference to this child in her biographies have since been wiped but some claim to have found archived stuff. It appears this sad story is going to bring out much more than the CoS would like. Rest with the angels Jett.
Comment by Mitsu Too — January 4, 2009 @ 9:45 am
That was one of the better articles I’ve read so far k. Some in the media have completely avoided the fact that Jett was almost certainly autistic.
As for reports that KP may have had another disabled child-if true Scientology is going to have a VERY hard time “handling” that story.
Comment by Rachel — January 4, 2009 @ 11:51 am
mitsu-do you have links to any of those reports?
thanx
Comment by Rachel — January 4, 2009 @ 12:26 pm
There is a whole thread started now at WWP.
http://forums.whyweprotest.net/298-jett-travolta/kelly-preston-another-disabled-son-35186/
This is one of the original posts that started it.
http://classicad.wordpress.com/2008/12/26/kelly-preston-birth-dateplace-movie-and-biography/
Anons are researching right now and have noted discrepancies in information and changes made to Wikipedia and other sites. I’m sure if there is information to be had they will find it. If it proves to be true it certainly adds more to this tale then the CoS would like revealed.
There is also a very interesting thread started on how Scientology views autism.
http://forums.whyweprotest.net/298-jett-travolta/addressing-autism-scientology-really-35240/
It links to a scientology run site so be forewarned. The author Pierre Eithier is the same guy who audited with the sword guy shot a few weeks ago at a the Celebrity center.
Comment by Mitsu Too — January 4, 2009 @ 1:24 pm
It appears the links I added to my last post have prevented my comment from showing. Rachel go to WWP as they have severel threads started on this including another on scientology’s view on autism.
Comment by Mitsu Too — January 4, 2009 @ 1:27 pm
I just read on TMZ where they said Jett had taken the anti-seizure drug Depokate for a number of years. My question (and please forgive me if I sound skeptical, I don’t mean disrespect to Jett’s memory) is, could John have given his son this drug for all these years and still made it to OTIII? I don’t remember exactly what OTIII entails, but I do know Scientology frowns on medicinal help.
So…could this be the CoS doing damage control, or could John have been doing this behind the church’s back?
Comment by k — January 4, 2009 @ 2:29 pm
Mitsu Too: I checked our Pending list and there’s nothing there, but we’ve been having some problems with the comments section lately and the bells and whistles which make them show. I apologize if you typed something out and it disappeared.
ETA: I found your comment in the Spam section and posted it.
Comment by k — January 4, 2009 @ 2:30 pm
K you should great insight and compassion in this reporting. I saw the news and discussed it with several people. I had intended on writing a post about Jett and the possibility that he was being mistreated for what seems to be an obvious case of autism, because of his parents belief. Jett has been shrouded in mystery his entire life, either out of a desire for privacy or, as I believe, a shame caused by the Church of Scientology which would describe Jett as being a “degraded” being in their eyes. There was video of Jett recently in Paris which, from my perspective, proved that he suffered from grave mental disabilities, not Kawasaki disease. If you observe Jett during this video and other rare photo opportunities he is treated in a manner that would suggest a child who suffered from severe mental disabilities, NOT the physical ailments associated with Kawasaki.
In retrospect, and due to some objections by members of Anonymous, I couldn’t bring myself to post my theories. K and I have a general rule of thumb about writing about children on the site, and this would have crossed the line big time.
K you did a fantastic job covering all the related highlights without being sensationalistic or insensitive. I am actually relieved you did it, as I am afraid I would have failed miserably. As difficult as this is to say, I feel John and Kelly were deeply embarrassed of Jett and did NOT attend to his needs. There have been many buried reports of Jett’s true condition being ignored, with his parents feeding him a poor diet (autistic children can being helped tremendously by early intervention and a regimented diet void of sugars, wheat, glutin and other substances with affect the brain chemistry of an autistic child.) The general consensus was that because they were in denial due to their Scientology beliefs, Jett was allowed to succumb to the debilitating affects of autism by living a life stuck in front of a television and a diet high in fat and sugar. I can’t imagine the purification rundown process (detox k mentioned above) did anything but make Jett’s condition worse.
We may never know exactly what caused Jett’s death,
Comment by Dawn — January 4, 2009 @ 2:35 pm
K, you did a good job rounding up the facts about Kawasaki. I used to have a lot of those kids under my care at the hospital. Treatment includes IV Ig and large doses of aspirin. Close — and I do mean close — monitoring. Echo cardiograms, EKGs, blood work, it’s pretty much non-stop for a couple days.
As for Preston’s assertion that they took care of Jett by detoxifying him and his surroundings and everything was all better, balderdash! Sorry, that’s a big ol’ fail in anybody’s book. Kawasaki’s Disease requires serious medical interventions. If she and Travolta delayed medical treatment in favor of LRon’s ways, they’re more than negligent as parents, they’re dangerous. (I’ve had Christian Scientists who bring their kids in when they’re that sick! Co$’ers don’t get a by on this one. Nobody does.)
Regarding possible autism — IF Jett was denied adequate health care during his bout with Kawasaki, he COULD have been left with permanent brain damage. Or, that could have been a pre-existing condition. Don’t know. Can’t say.
I will say this, I don’t wish a child’s death on any parent, not even ones who believe in something as stupid as Scientology.
Comment by Joanie — January 4, 2009 @ 2:37 pm
Ooops,computer spaz. I was going to conclude my above long-winded spiel with; while we may never know what caused Jett’s death, I am confident that Scientology’s hold on his parents sealed his fate long, long ago.
If you adhere to a belief that physical and spiritual perfection can be attained regardless of the law of physics and the universe, you are guaranteed failure in your life. Perfection is not something you attain, it is merely something you strive for. John and Kelly love their son, but they failed him miserably by allowing their deeply flawed beliefs to cloud their parental judgments. They need to take the “science” out of Scientology, because it CLEARLY, doesn’t belong.
RIP Jett, may your new place in the universe be free the of constraints of this one. And I hope John and Kelly can some day come to terms with this senseless tragedy and reject Scientology. It’s a fake religion riddled with tragedies just like this one.
Comment by Dawn — January 4, 2009 @ 2:45 pm
I am not commenting to argue with anyone, but merely to make my own observation. Isn’t it a little premature for anyone to assume that John and Kelly did something wrong or neglectful in the name of religion that may have caused their son’s death? Whether Jett was autistic, suffering from Kawasaki, or was mentally delayed (or whatever his ailments might have been) does it really make a difference? His death is a horrible tragedy for this family. Everything that I have ever seen concerning John Travolta’s love for his children has been positive. They seemed to be a very close loving family.
No matter what their religion, I feel deeply sorry for the Travolta families loss.
Comment by Kimi — January 4, 2009 @ 10:07 pm
now they are now saying he was on Depakote for seizures for years but that he was causing organ damage. that should be shown in the autopsy i guess.
Depakote treats bipolars too…i thought they protested against psychiatric drugs? hmm.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28497268/
Comment by missnomer — January 4, 2009 @ 10:49 pm
Im pretty sure that Scientologists do use western medicine though they may be inclined to take less drastic measures like opting out of chemo. They are mainly anti psych drugs. Depakote is also considered a psych drug. If the Travoltas decided to take him off of it suddenly it could have severe effects. My sister has been on anti seizure meds including Depakote for almost 13 years and whenever she misses a dose she has a seizure.
Anyway, Scientologists do go to the doctor but they generally prefer a Scientologist doctor. And most of them are quacks.
Comment by Mary Jane Jones — January 5, 2009 @ 1:24 am
I find it interesting that poster #7 [comment since deleted - k] diagnosed Jett with “retardation” rather than autism or other conditions, based on a video of him “mouth-breathing.” Is “positive for mouth-breathing” how we make a determination of mental retardation these days? If so, I might also have “retardation” because I sometimes breathe through my mouth too. Hope there isn’t any video of me mouth-breathing floating around out there…
Comment by glp — January 5, 2009 @ 12:57 pm
Oh God, Oh God. I feel their pain…and their knee-jerk repulsion for the cliches and the short-sighted comments of so many. In the beautiful photos posted on line, I see in Jett’s eyes, expressions and poses the same lovingly indescribable qualities of our 17-yr.old son. Diagnosis, label, etc…it does not matter. Accident, lack of proper treatment, negligence, what!? how dare anyone even whisper their mind regarding the details of this devastating loss. I have always seen something in Travolta’s eyes and demeanor that lead me to believe that he is an amazingly good person. I am sure John and Kelly loved their son, love their children, with all of their heart and soul. My heart goes out to them now and forever. If it were me, I don’t know how I would go on, except to be there in the flesh for the rest of my family…My heart goes out to them. My heart goes out to them.
Comment by Frances Swanson — January 5, 2009 @ 10:16 pm
We feel their pain too. I have no doubt that John and Kelly loved their son. But that doesn’t mean we suddenly went blind or that our brains stopped working, or that they could not have been brainwashed into making wrong decisions concerning their child’s treatment.
I think most here, including Dawn and I, have been respectful and decent in our comments, even the questioning ones. If there is any good that can come out of this, it would be that John and Kelly finally wake up and get out of the Cult of Scientology.
Comment by k — January 5, 2009 @ 10:21 pm
I’m sorry, I didn’t see that comment made earlier, I deleted it.
We don’t call people who are mentally handicapped or who have autism “mouth-breathers”. I don’t normally delete comments, but that one irritated me.
Comment by k — January 5, 2009 @ 10:59 pm
When did we start referring to the mentally retarded as “autistic”? While autism has a range of levels, someone that can’t be educated and isn’t even communicative (as Jett has been described) isn’t autistic, he’s retarded.
And lacking communication skills it would be pretty severe retardation, as well.
This is a misuse of the concept of autism, and needs to be corrected.
Comment by Robert Morein — January 5, 2009 @ 11:34 pm
To me (I can’t speak for others) the word “retarded” isn’t a problem (in my mind) as long as it isn’t used in a derogatory fashion.
“Mouth-breather”, however, is derogatory. That’s why the comment was deleted.
And we don’t know for certain if Jett was mentally challenged, autistic, both, or neither. It’s pretty much a given, but we don’t know for sure. He did seem to have serious mental problems from the video I’ve seen and the third-hand reports I’ve read, but I’ve seen where some claim he had mental problems and some claim he was autistic. The Travoltas claim it was only KS and seizures. So we can’t say, “Yes, he was mentally retarded,” or “Yes, he was autistic,” because we don’t know 100% which one or both or neither…so I’m not sure what to correct in this particular case. In cases where there is a definite diagnosis of some kind, I agree, we should then call it what it is. We as a public just don’t know 100% for certain what this is.
Comment by k — January 6, 2009 @ 4:41 am
I’m tired of hearing about Kawasaki Disease from the Travolta’s. They are hiding behind it. From the pictures of Jett, bless his heart, he had development problems at that very least and seizures. You don’t stop using medicine and not try another one. They are several seizure medicines and sometimes it’s trial and error to find the one that will work. We gave Anna Nicole and her son such a hard time when they passed but everyone wants to leave the Travolta’s alone. They hid their child afraid that if everyone knew the truth, they wouldn’t buy their movie tickets to see them. Scientology scooped to the Bahamas and covered this up real quick. They have to live with this and I guess they can justify it with all their Scientology friends. Where was the nanny and why didn’t the nanny hear him fall if he was being watched 24/7?
Comment by Jack — January 6, 2009 @ 4:30 pm
Iam so sorry for their loss, a parent should not have to bury a child. But I have seen pictures of Jett and I do beleive he was Autistic,and I find it so sad that this is not brought out by John and Kelly,they could do so much good for children with this illness, just by speaking out. I hope one day they will be able to do this.
Comment by JADE — January 6, 2009 @ 9:03 pm
I am so sorry for yalls lose, my prayers are with you.
Comment by I.M — January 6, 2009 @ 9:59 pm