Los Angeles – While many of us may be celebrating the arrival of the New Year, it’s brought nothing but tragic tidings to actors John Travolta (Grease, Hairspray) and wife Kelly Preston (Death Sentence). Their only son, Jett, died seemly “out of the blue” early Friday morning at their vacation home in the Bahamas. The sixteen year old was discovered unconscious on the floor of the bathroom by the caretaker of the family’s home and immediately rushed to Rand Memorial Hospital via ambulance. He was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Jett Travolta suffered from Kawasaki Disease, an illness which can cause aneurysms and inflammation in the blood vessels of young children. While the official cause of death is as yet unreleased, it has been stated that Jett suffered a seizure and collapsed, resulting in head trauma. According to Michael Ossi, the family attorney, the teenager had a long history of seizures due to his condition. No word has been disclosed as to whether or not Jett had been actively taking medication for his seizures. At the age of two, Jett had fallen grievously ill and nearly died when he was initially diagnosed with the disease. At the time it was thought that he had suffered from autism, but these claims were abruptly denied by his family.
Kelly Preston often attributed her son’s illness to the high toxicity of household cleaning supplies and fertilizers. She has since been an avid activist in promoting the safe-labeling of chemical products. The family claims that detoxification programs and the teachings of Scientology were the lead factors in the boy’s recovering health over the years. They had only just arrived for a holiday getaway on Tuesday and had no recent cause for concern when Jett collapsed in their home.
Kawasaki Disease is diagnosed in over 4000 children each year, generally in males under the age of five. While the disease itself is not preventable, less then 1% of all cases of Kawasaki are fatal. Doctors have yet to discover the cause of the disease, which is particularly tricky to diagnose as there is currently no blood test with which to identify it. Symptoms often include: long lasting fever, rash, swollen limbs and lymph nodes, and a reddening of the eyes.
Jett Travolta is survived by his father John, mother Kelly, and sister Ella Bleu (aged 8). He will be laid to rest in Ocala, Florida where he can be close to the family.
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