Jett Travolta: Victim of Autism, Kawasaki, or Scientology?

Autism in itself is not a fatal disease but there are some autism syndromes where epilepsy is a part of the picture. Whether or not he had autism is somewhat a moot point as far as his death, but if he did have a history of seizures, he had epilepsy. Epilepsy can be a dangerous disease or even fatal but is easily controlled by antiepileptic drugs in 80% of patients. If he had epilepsy and was not treated for it, that is criminal in my mind.

It is a shame a young man had to die.  Jett probably did not enjoy life as many kids his age could.  It just goes to show you that MONEY has nothing to do with HAPPINESS.  The money that the Travolta's have is staggering.  The care of THEIR child was secondary to their religious beliefs.  Let me say this, if any of my children were ill and needed help, I would stop at NOTHING to save them.....even if it cost me my life.  Selfishness has a way of making people think differently.  God Bless Jett.  He is now at peace.  His parents on the other hand will now know his pain....Forgive them......    Jett would want that

It is a sad day, indeed.  So much could and should have been done, so much to help Jett deal with the real world. I can't imagine being embarrassed about having a child with a handicap.  I can't imagine a parent not wanting all that is available in the form of therapies, especially right in the state of California, home to some of the best programs in the world for autistic children.  California is home to some of the world's leading experts in the field of autism.  Dr. Bob Keogel and his wife Dr. Lynn Keogel, for instance. The University of California Santa Barbara hosts a wonderful program.  Most parents would give up everything, and some have to get help for their children and make a better life for them.  You can't buy a cure for autism, but therapies are available to enhance the life of these children so they have more meaningful and productive lives.  Shame on your, Travoltas!  I won't be watching any more of your movies.  As a mother who made many sacrifices so her now 24 year old daughter with autism might have a better life, this Travolta travesty is totally incomprehensible to me.  Autism knows no socio-economic boundries, and yes, you people of priveledge are no exception.  I praise those celebrities and sports professionals who have brought autism to the limelight and have raised funds for research.  Check out the website, AUTISMSPEAKS.ORG if you want to get involved.  It is hard enough to lose a child, but I don't personally know a soul that wouldn't do all they could for their children.  Maybe that is not what Hollywood is all about and don't even get me started on a religion such as Scientology!  Jett is in a better place, now.

But Travolta and Preston DID acknowledge the history of seizure of their son.

They were not in denial about that.

What they did about it I don't know, but the point is that constantly pounding on the fact that they did not acknowledge the autism of their son and that this is basically what killed him is completely false.

Since acknowledging it would have changed nothing at all (it being without cure and without medicine)

And since they did acknowledge the history of seizure of their son.

Thus the point being constantly pounded by critics is completely moot and senseless. It only aims to give the impression that the family could have done something and didn't do it because they were supposedly prevented from doing so by Scientology.

It is false and a deception by itself.

The only question is what they did or didn't do about the seizure, not that they failed to acknowledge his autism and that thus led to his death..

I hope people see that.

Scientology does not prevent or interfere in medication or medical treatment. This is just another paid  spin story by the likes of "Anoynmous" who just got the FBI active because of death threats against Tom Cruise.

Scientology does not prevent or interfere in medication or medical treatment. This is just another paid  spin story by the likes of "Anonymous" who just got the FBI active because of death threats against Tom Cruise.

This whole scientology thing is extremely out of hand already, and kelly and john should be dealt with through the judicial system  for their dismissal  to treat jett accordingly with specialty doctors for his medical problems. Scientology is not a cure for mental illness, nor is it an alternative ... and Mr. Ron Hubbard should be in prison ...

If Jett was autistic it's shameful they did not get help for him. There are many ways autism can be treated and children can improve significantly. Autism is not a psychriatric disorder, it's neurological. Many kids with autism do have seizure disorder too. What kind of parent/caregiver does not check on a child with a disability for 12 hrs? Even to make sure that he had gone to sleep that night? Especially with a history of seizures. Sounds like neglect/denial to me.

and Mr. Ron Hubbard should be in prison

If he weren't already dead.

The family has lost their son.  Is that not enough?  Pray for them, write a card, learn about the illnesses that may relate to this tragedy, but criticize a family whose child has been dead less than 48 hours?  That, my friends, is evil.

As the grandmother of a Spectrum Disorder (Autistic) child I want to point out something I think is important.  If Jett did have Autism, and we don't know that he did, the fact that he is shown smiling, holding hands, calmly being led to a car, and that he was able to participate in sports activities, show that this was a child who was loved and given great attention.  Although he may have looked nervous or unsure of himself he also looked to be comfortable being led by his father. This demonstrates trust and would not be the case if he were only trained and shown caring by "others."  Autistic children can learn to feel comfortable, trusting, and show emotion but only if they are treated in ways that foster these things.  I would be able to guide my grandson through a crowd of people but his next door neighbor who he has know from infancy might not be.   This child was loved and it shows in him, his body language, his sweet face, his ability to navigate crowds.  Children who take medications for seizures still die sometimes.  Get over it people.  It is none of YOUR bussiness. 

Parents are responsible for their childrens' welfare, spritually as well as physically.  It is common for parents to raise their offspring with the same spritual values and same reliigon as they have.  I don't agree with Scientolgy, but if parents ditch their values and beliefs whenever they want to, the message to the child is that these values do not matter.  Many people have refused medical treatment and have fared well in spite of the dire predictions of death.  The courts have prevailed in some instances and taken the children away from the parents,  who still had to pay for the treatment, and the child died anyway.  Frequently, the full course of treatment was not provided which gives the impression that the courts just wanted to flaunt their power.   I heard that Tom Cruise' wife suffered postpartum depression after the birth of their daughter.  I heard it only once and never heard of the treatment.  Anything can be hushed up I guess.  I don't feel that the government (courts) should be involved in matters of what we do, or don't do, to our bodies and those for whom we are responsible.  This includes abortion,  Perhaps we wouldn't have so many deserted, mistreated and  beaten to death babies if the decision were left to the individuals affected.

News just in

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.

Why would a 16 year old have a baby monitor device by his side and also a chimer on the bathroom door?

It seems from reading the posts that while Jett may have had autism, but that did not kill him. Nor did Kawasaki syndrome (which I don't  see any neurological connection with anyway at least at his age). Jett had seizures for which he should have been treated. I have to think John loved his son dearly and wanted to protect him from the public.  However, sadly, Scientology (how can one take that belief system seriously?) blinded him from doing what was best for his beloved son.  I wonder if now guilt will seize John?

Parents are responsible for their childrens' welfare, spritually as well as physically.  It is common for parents to raise their offspring with the same spritual values and same reliigon as they have.  I don't agree with Scientolgy, but if parents ditch their values and beliefs whenever they want to, the message to the child is that these values do not matter.  Many people have refused medical treatment and have fared well in spite of the dire predictions of death.  The courts have prevailed in some instances and taken the children away from the parents,  who still had to pay for the treatment, and the child died anyway.  Frequently, the full course of treatment was not provided which gives the impression that the courts just wanted to flaunt their power.   I heard that Tom Cruise' wife suffered postpartum depression after the birth of their daughter.  I heard it only once and never heard of the treatment.  Anything can be hushed up I guess.  I don't feel that the government (courts) should be involved in matters of what we do, or don't do, to our bodies and those for whom we are responsible.  This includes abortion,  Perhaps we wouldn't have so many deserted, mistreated and  beaten to death babies if the decision were left to the individuals affected.

News just in

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.

Why would a 16 year old have a baby monitor device by his side?And also a chimer on the bathroom door?

Parents are responsible for their childrens' welfare, spritually as well as physically.  It is common for parents to raise their offspring with the same spritual values and same reliigon as they have.  I don't agree with Scientolgy, but if parents ditch their values and beliefs whenever they want to, the message to the child is that these values do not matter.  Many people have refused medical treatment and have fared well in spite of the dire predictions of death.  The courts have prevailed in some instances and taken the children away from the parents,  who still had to pay for the treatment, and the child died anyway.  Frequently, the full course of treatment was not provided which gives the impression that the courts just wanted to flaunt their power.   I heard that Tom Cruise' wife suffered postpartum depression after the birth of their daughter.  I heard it only once and never heard of the treatment.  Anything can be hushed up I guess.  I don't feel that the government (courts) should be involved in matters of what we do, or don't do, to our bodies and those for whom we are responsible.  This includes abortion,  Perhaps we wouldn't have so many deserted, mistreated and  beaten to death babies if the decision were left to the individuals affected.

This story just makes me mad. I have a sister-in-law who is a practicing Scientologist and she smoke, drank, and partied while she was pregnant. She has a severly autistic daughter now. Her child is taken care of no better than Jett was. Where is the accountability? Why is it ok to bring socially OK substances into her body but it's not ok to treat the aftermath?

Read this for more on the Autism denial link:

http://drdeborahserani.blogspot.com/2007/06/autism-and-denial.html

 Autism is not a psychological condition. It is a neurological condition. The idea that the Travoltas were against psychology or psychiatry should never have even entered into this. Autism is a completely medical condition.

 I feel bad that they lost their son, but their management of whatever disease their son had, be it Kawasaki or Autism, was grossly negligent and equates to no less than child abuse.

 If I had believed religion would heal my son, he would also be nonverbal now, instead of as  functional as he is. He is 10 and learning to use a fork and spoon. He is able to tell me most of the time what he needs or wants.

 To not give your child the opportunity to function to the best of his ability because of religious beliefs is absolutely cruel.

does scientology believe in GOD?

Kelly Preston has another son by her first husband in Hawaii, who is cared for by her family. He also has severe problems, and can’t live on his own. She never speaks about him.

Kelly’s family had to sue Kelly to get her first child treated with traditional medicine and therapies. There is a huge rift between them because Kelly wanted total $cientology control over the kid from California. Her family, who diaper and feed the boy (all grown up now), who provide the hands on care, won the case and the child gets the best of whatever modern medicine can provide. This has been confirmed by court records even if Kelly pretends he doesn’t exists now.

I suspect that Kelly refused to pay for any evil Western medicine or psychiatric drugs and that the court case made it her obligation.