All weekend I kept thinking of a way I could write about the Jett Travolta situation, and well weekend I kept thinking that each different angle was still a little too snarky. The problem is there is so much misinformation out there that it is hard to figure out exactly what happened other than the fact that Jett appears to have had a seizure, bumped his head and died.
I think there will be time for lots of questions later. Whether Jett had autism or Kawasaki disease does not change that fact that John and Kelly lost their son. I don't care how cold and heartless they seem, I doubt they wanted to lose their son and so I have a hard time piling on to their misery.
There will be plenty of time in the future to ask questions about why someone who bills himself as a professional photographer on his website was acting as a 24 hour nanny and caretaker for Jett. Whether it is because he has been alleged in the past to be John Travolta's gay lover is a good question. He was also the person to discover Jett.
Did John and Kelly take Jett off his seizure medicine because of the Church or was it really because it was not helping? Who knows? I just find it hard to believe that anyone can know for sure what kind of medicine Jett was on prior to his death. I'm sure the autopsy report will have a list of drugs in his system so that should give us an idea. I'm sure they will also be able to tell if Jett suffered from autism. The thing is, let's say that he did have autism. Publicly John has said Jett suffered from Kawasaki. Isn't it up to John and Kelly to decide what they share to the world about the medical condition of their minor son? How is it any of our business? Just because the Scientologists believe that autism does not exist, doesn't mean all of their members agree. There are a lot of religions that say you should not drink, but it doesn't mean everyone follows it.
The timeline question is the big question with the police saying one thing and all of John Travolta's people saying another. Apparently though the entire townhouse where the family was staying is only about 1,000 square feet and Jett and the two caretakers for him were down in the basement so it is not like there should have been much of a lag time between head hitting and them discovering him unless the two were busy doing something else.
Below is a great video that RADAR acquired. It is an interview with one of the EMT's who responded to the scene.
I don't have sound on my computer, so I don't know what this man is saying, but it seems to me that he shouldn't be speaking to the media about this. I mean, doesn't he have to take the Hippocratic oath or something?
ReplyDeleteYou're right when you say that this isn't the time to pile on, and what the Travolta's choose to share with the world is their business, and rightly so. But what really bothers me is the way they keep saying his condition is due to Kawasaki's.
ReplyDeleteI speak from personal experience, although I'm not a doctor. When my niece was 11 months old (she's now 29 and very healthy), she was diagnosed with Kawaski's and was very sick in the hospital for a few weeks. What I can say is that more than 90% of the children afflicted recover without any kind of permanent damage. Less than 10% are affected, and a small percentage are left with heart trouble. Kawasaki's affects the heart, NOT the brain.
It's very clear Jett had disabilities, to the point that he had caretakers with him. Whatever people may or may not think about John & Kelly, at least they made sure he had people caring for him.
Most people have suffered losses, but it's not the natural order for a child to go before their parents, and unless someone has walked in their shoes, I don't think any of us can imagine the kind of torment they're going through now.
Okay, I'm done.
I feel horrible for the family. Like everyone else, I am curious about what happened and also realize it isn't a time to add to the family's suffering.
ReplyDeleteI am reading the stuff about it, so I can't pretend that I am not. I think you are being a bit hypocritical to say "I'm not going to talk about it, there will be plenty of time to..." and then turn around and talk about every possible scandalous issue you can about it. Don't try to act noble when you aren't being noble about it.
The technical term for not being noble is "ignoble". Thanks edumacation!
ReplyDeleteOT- that is also the name of the alternative nobel prize.
ReplyDeleteLike you Princess pea, I also had a family member diagnosed w/ Kawasaki's. My niece (who is a very happy, healthy 4 yr old) was diagnosed at a little over a year. My sister had not had her carpets cleaned prior to this diagnosis....it is true that there is very little medical headway as to where this disease originates from. It is very dangerous if not detected early b/c you can develop a bulge ( do not know correct medical term??) in your artery that could rupture. My niece still has to visit her pedi cardiologist once per year.
ReplyDeleteMy heart goes out to the Travolta's. Kawasaki's, autism or whatever.....to lose a child is the most heartwrenching pain any parent could go through!
Ah, go put on a bra, Sue Ellen Mishkey! (or a jacket over your bra...) ;)
ReplyDeleteEMT is looking for his 15 minutes huh? I hope he loses his job
ReplyDeletedeity2 - I'm glad to hear you're niece is doing well. Now that you mention it, I remember that my niece had monthly cardiograms for the first year following her illness, and was monitored for quite a while afterwards. As well, her carpets hadn't been washed either, only vacuumed.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, after all these years, they still don't know what causes it. It's not a contagious disease like the chicken pox, and there's no rhyme or reason why certain children are affected, while others are not.
Linnea, I love the Ig Nobels! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know that autism is something that can be confirmed with an autopsy and the coroner is looking for cause of death, not popularly assumed health issues. Because he hit his head, they may be looking closely at the brain to see if it was the seizure and then the trauma or the other way around(if even that can be determined).
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should not be making accusuations about their care of him at this time.
From Enty,
ReplyDelete"I don't care how cold and heartless they seem, I doubt they wanted to lose their son and so I have a hard time piling on to their misery."
Huh? I've never heard John and Kelly described as cold and heartless.
I think some of the people are suspicious because they know of someone who stopped having seizures after taking medicine.
I know several people who take medication for seizures and still have them.
I really didn't see this as anything other than an unfortunate accident. Perhaps the only explanation is that Jett's time on this earth was completed so he had to move on.
My heart goes out to the Travolta family.
i agree with the ent lawyer!
ReplyDeletei feel for them for losing a son but something is not right about all this. something was going on there and someone isn't telling the truth about the timeline.
ReplyDeletepomme are you saying that you agree that John and Kelly are cold and heartless or are you agreeing with something else that was said?
ReplyDeleteAutism cannot be determined by an autopsy.
ReplyDeleteBoy, I can't feel anything but pity for John Travolta, Kelly Preston and their family. I can't imagine what they are going through and hope to never know.
ReplyDeleteThough I imagine this family isn't reading blogs at this time, it is still unbelievably cruel to speculate that they didn't care or appropriately care for him. There doesn't have to be something sinister about every unexpected famous death.
As we have all agreed, this is a horrible tragedy for the travolta family and we should respect their grief. Personal feelings for them aside, I have to agree with Jax et al who say that something is rotten in Denmark when it comes to the timeline, but it will all be explained away I am sure, by Travolts's fixers, just like every other story that is out there, just never confirmed. RIP Jet
ReplyDeleteThe part about all of this that really upsets me is that the CoS claims autism doesn't exist. That is the biggest load of BS I've ever heard. As a person with a family member that has an autism spectrum disorder, I know that autism is absolutely a real condition. I mean, maybe Jett wasn't autistic; it can be a tricky diagnosis. But if he was autistic and his parents refused to acknowledge the true nature of their son's condition because of their "religious" beliefs ... well, that's pretty much the most ignorant, selfish, delusional thing I can imagine.
ReplyDeleteOn a semi-related note, I think Jenny McCarthy is a twat for claiming she "cured" her son of autism. Neurological disorders do not work that way. You can develop methods of coping with a disorder—routines, therapies, medications, etc.—but you can't magically "cure" a person with autism.
Okay, I'm getting all riled up. I better stop.
Regardless of feelings about John or Kelly or how they handled the press regarding Jett's condition, I can't imagine the pain caused by losing a child. I think I would lose my mind if anything to happened to either of my kids. And to have it all play out in front of the world is unimaginable to me. I'm sending all kinds of good ju-ju to them in getting through this.
ReplyDeleteCould care less how or why or when. It's just very sad.
ReplyDeleteThe whole story is unbelievably unfortunate. :( It's heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteI agree with jax and merrick. Something feels a little off. Lainey has her own little theory too, though she doesn't go into details.
ReplyDeleteAs a mother of two i can't even begin to imagine what it would be like if...... it's just too tragic and sad. I don't care if John was screwing the nanny, he did seem to really love his boy. My heart goes out to them, i wouldn't wish this on anyone.
It's very sad and I feel much compassion for John, Kelly and their extended family.
ReplyDeleteI am not a heartless person but, there is totally something wrong here. Maybe not wrong in a criminal sense but wrong just the same.
I doubt we'll ever know for sure. The autopsy won't be able to say if Jett was autistic, but it can rule out Kawasaki.
Isn't Jett's nanny the guy that was photographed kissing John(on the lips)a few years ago? Remember, on the stairs by the plane?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, i'm sad for them. They had a special needs child and I'm sure they tried to give him the best care.
I feel for the Travolta's, as they have lost a child, but I do not think that the truth will come out anytime soon. Scientologists surround themselves with other Scientologists and they will be closing ranks. They also intimidate through lawsuits and have enough money to throw around to pay people to keep their mouths shut.
ReplyDeleteRIP Jett!
ReplyDeleteI do not think we will ever know what really happened here and yes I think the scientologists are experts at covering up and really good at distractions.
Also, I read Jenny McCarthys book, the one before this last one and she mentions a famous actress calling her up and telling her that there is a small window in the childs mind to get through the autism and cure it....my big question is that if this was really true why the secrecy and why not share your story especially if it can help other people?
Am getting really cynical of the celebrity circles and their lifecycles and yes even their denial-ability.
I don't for one second believe that Kelly Preston wouldn't do everything in her power to help her child be as healthy and safe as possible, despite what Scientology or anyone else might say.
ReplyDeleteif scientology says there's no such thing as autism, then i have no problem at all believing he wasn't getting therapy for it. IF he was autistic. clearly, there was something more wrong with him than kawasaki disease (if he even had that).
ReplyDeleteof course it's a tragedy for them that their son died. no question there. but before this is over,i suspect scientology WILL be implicated here.
autism does not have a magic cure, nor is it a discrete condition. it is a SPECTRUM disorder. there are varying degrees of severity.
Just to clear two things up:
ReplyDelete- Autism and Kawasaki´s are not mutually exclusive diseases, having one doesn´t automatically prevent you from having the other.
- Autism is a clinical diagnosis, and although there are neurological theories behind it, you can´t confirm it on an autopsy. Jett might have been autistic, but there´s never going to be any confirmation of that unless one of his parents/immediate family members decides to share that.
Having said that, my thoughts are with the parents. It´s a terrible thing to bury a child.
According to E online the autopsy report is in and Jett's death was caused by a seizure. They also said that there was no indication of head trauma which was mentioned by the EMT and the Travolta family.
ReplyDeleteOMG, that made me cry. I don't fault the EMT. He was sincerely trying to tell his version, and I don't believe he is looking for fame. Jesus, this is incredibly sad.
ReplyDeleteIt is very sad. He looked like a lovely child .. he seemed very shy to me on the few occasions I saw pictures of him. My question in all of this is what will happen between John and CoS. He will either descend further into it and that will be the last we see of him or - I think perhaps more likely - he will blame CoS for the death of his son.
ReplyDeleteThere have been numerous reports in the media that apparently this child did have a serious seizure disorder. He had two helpers with him pretty much 24/7/365. We all know what CoS's views are on meds. Now the child has died of a seizure he may well have not had - or not had to the severity that killed him - if not for the tenets of CoS.
If I were placing my belief in a system that told me not to medicate my child because it would cure him with these detoxes and so forth .. I would be mad as hell and looking for pay back in a big way from those who lied to me. Yes .. even regardless of what ever it was that they were holding against me.
As a grieving parent .. you have the world's sympathy to come out or whatever it is those people hold against him to keep him there. I hope he can break free and find one small bright spot in what can only be described as every parents nightmare.
Not on my dollar, about the lack of head trauma that was from the funeral home, not the coroner.
ReplyDeletei don't know why a funeral director is commenting on the condition of a body..weird.
"How is it any of our business?" - Thank you, Enty. It is baffling to me how people can be so callous, unsympathetic and detached from emotion as to say such horrible things about a family in grief. Whatever is going on with them right now IS none of our business. It's one thing to poke fun of John's hair but it's completely inhumane to question their lives during such a terrible time simply because their religion does not align with someone else's. I have never seen such a display of savagery in the form of words in my life - in the name of "Jesus"! Pfftt!!!
ReplyDeleteJax you're right. I just read it again, it does seem odd that someone from the funeral home would comment about the lack of head trauma unless they were truly puzzled by the conflicting statements.
ReplyDeleteThe child is being cremated.
I feel so bad for Jett. Apparently he was not capable of speaking and was very sensitive to being touched.
I knew that he was a special needs child, just not to that degree.
As I said before my condolences to the Travolta family.
R.I.P. Jett
nomd, if you really want to feel bad, check out these photo's. i don't know how anyone can say he was being hidden or that they shoved him in a corner. it looks like he was loved very much by his parents.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE50145920090105?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&rpc=22&sp=true
heartbreaking doesn't being to describe what it must be like to lose a child.
we know a 20 year old who just od'd on drugs and died. what a nightmare. these families will never be the same.
Molly I've already seen those photos and in addition I remember years ago someone complained that they didn't want to be around John's kids because he spoiled them and didn't want anyone to chastise them.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I don't understand the comments from Enty about them being cold.
I believe they protected both of their children from the public and if we didn't see Jett it was for his protection not out of embarrassment.
I could be wrong because I don't follow John and Kelly that closely but that's how I see it.
Maybe the Travolta's hoped if they didn't go thru the physician suggested treatments for autism and instead used the scientology mumbo jumbo it would help him or he would just 'grow out of it'.Instead it looked like he grew into a very large 16 year old with mobility problems.Why do families spend so much time money energy sweat and tears trying to bring their autistic children through that small window? To be able to communicate and interact in society? When you live in a gated community, sleep Elvis hours and fly privately from your driveway to each destination all that societal interaction might not seem so important for Jett.
ReplyDeleteSad to say, day to day life just got so much easier for their remaining family. And I'm sure the sense of relief is killing them.
When I was young, my mom fainted frequently. She'd faint in the bathroom, and there would be a big crash, so we'd find her within a minute of her fainting.
ReplyDeleteIf the townhouse was 1,000 sq. ft., and Jett's "nanny" was nearby, I don't see how they wouldn't have found Jett right away.
I am shocked that people assume that Scientologists don't allow any medication. I am the mother of an epileptic and in our support group there are some parents that are Scientologists and their children are on medication.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately seizure meds don't always work. At this time my sons seizures don't break through but if you could see his EEG's they would scare the hell out of you as he is constantly having them. He has had seizures since birth and has had so many changes in medicines and has to go through constant blood tests and adjustments as they lose effectiveness over time. We also know that they have some severe side effects and also that they can do more harm than good. My son has considered going off of them as they do cause him problems but at the same time he hates the thought of going back to having anywhere between 3-9 major seizures a week and then there are the "mild" ones daily.
My heart breaks for this family as I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through.
nomd, i don't get the comments enty made either, but that could have just been snark. i have a lot more respect for celebrity parents who protect their kids than the ones who parade them out in front of the world.
ReplyDeletebecki, according to their lawyer, jett was on anti-seizure meds and they helped reduce the number of seizures he was having. then the meds stopped working and there were signs of some liver damage, and they stopped the meds.
i'm not sure they'd make that up given how all over their shit scientologists would be.
i disagree with you when you say their day to day lives have just gotten easier. their lives have changed for the worst and will never be the same. there will always be a hole there, in their lives and in their hearts. their marriage, sham or not, just entered the high risk zone. many couples cannot withstand the pain of losing a child and end up divorced. i don't think there's going to be much relief for any of them.
snowowl, i don't think the argument is that scientologists don't allow meds, it's that they don't allow meds for certain things because they don't recognize psychological orders exist. they wouldn't recognize autism. if seizures were due to autism, meds for seizures and the autism might be denied. epilepsy isn't a psychological condition, so meds would be allowed.
Thanks for the response Molly. Didn't pick up on the snark this time.
ReplyDeletenomd, there probably wasn't any snark. i'm making excuses i shouldn't be making. the truth is, the comment was kicking two people when they're down and i found it low class.
ReplyDeleteYes, if Scientology wasn't part of this whole story my snark wouldn't be there. Don't know why that religion invented in the 1950's by a science fiction writer rubs me the wrong way.
ReplyDeleteI cared for an elderly parent for 6years until her death at 84.
With dementia and incontinence she was like a large child, in decline.When she died I felt relief
and a great sense of guilt for all the caregiving I didn't have to do anymore. If they had 24/7 nanny care on this child for a longtime
and it's not required anymore that's quite a difference.
becki, i wasn't criticizing your snark, but enty's. i'm just as pissed off as you are that scientology is such a sham, started by a sci-fi writer, and yet they're a tax exempt organization. what a joke.
ReplyDeletei can see feeling relief when a parent goes - not only because it's so hard seeing them suffer, but because we've seen them live good long lives. i felt relief seeing my mother die after a long hard battle with breast cancer. i just don't think the same is true when you bury a child.
captivagirl, check out the kissy-face pic of the caretaker in this article (if you're still reading):
http://gawker.com/5124205/jett-travoltas-fishy-cause-of-death?skyline=true&s=x
sometimes in these situations (small island community, hot humid weather), the funeral director (read mortician) does double duty as the coroner or vice versa.
ReplyDelete