John Travolta's 16-year old son dies

MattusMaximus

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MattusMaximus
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John Travolta's 16-year-old son dies in Bahamas

... The teenager had last been seen going into the bathroom on Thursday and had a history of seizures, according to the statement. Police said they are planning an autopsy to determine the cause of death. ...
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What kind of seizures? I don't want to seem like a scumbag, but does $cientology have any stance against anti-seizure meds the way they do against, say, antidepressants?
 
I was wondering the same thing; Fox News had an interview with a doctor and the interviewer noted that Travolta's son was on anti-seizure medication -- whether or not that's actually true, the same question popped immediately into my mind. Poor kid. : (
 
I would assume, and this is completely baseless, as I know little about scientologists, that if he where on medication for seizures, that it wouldnt be for the dreaded psychological evils, but a physical thing, or at least that would be what any loving parent in that 'religion' would tell themselves.

Not too try and hijack too much, but I find Travolta far less annoying as a scientologist than Cruise just because (to my knowledge) he doesnt run around making grossly ignorant comments about, well, anything and everything!
 
This has got to be one of the worst things that can ever happen to a parent. I feel bad for him and his wife.

My deepest condolences to them both.
 
Wasn't the boy reported to be autistic? Wasn't there some controversy some years back about the quality of life an autisitc boy would have with two Scientologist parents? Even on this board, I seem to remember some discussion of his condition and his parents' treatment of it.

A sad and unfortunate tragedy, regardless of what caused his death. My heart goes out to the whole family.
 
EeneyMinnieMoe said:
Wasn't the boy reported to be autistic? Wasn't there some controversy some years back about the quality of life an autisitc boy would have with two Scientologist parents? Even on this board, I seem to remember some discussion of his condition and his parents' treatment of it.

A sad and unfortunate tragedy, regardless of what caused his death. My heart goes out to the whole family.
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He was rumored to be autistic, but Travolta and Preston always denied it. Preston said that he suffered from Kawasaki Syndrome. Presumably, that was what caused the seizures.

The little footage I have seen of Jett Travolta always made me think he was autistic - but I also felt that, if his family wanted to keep that private, that was their business. They have obviously tried to give their children as much privacy as possible, which was a refreshing change from those in H'wood who exploit their kids.

My heart goes out to them, as well. I can't even imagine the grief they are enduring right now. Poor kid - he barely got a chance to live. May he rest in peace.
 
I don't care for Travolta, but as others have said, no parent should have to go through this. I feel sorry for him and Preston.
 
Agreed. As strongly as I disagree with $cientology, my heartfelt sympathies to the Travolta/Preston family.
 
Can it be determined if the child had kawasaki synd. after the autospy? I'm not jumping to conclusions, but from what Dr. Gupta said about this disease, it seems like the boy didn't have it. I watched cnn and Dr. Gupta seemed to indicate that the Travoltas story didn't make sense. I will keep the family in my prayers.

I think it is likely that scientology may have killed the boy. It is a fact that many people have died because of scientology not allowing them to take their meds. These cases have been documented.
 
skepticalbeliever said:
Can it be determined if the child had kawasaki synd. after the autospy? I'm not jumping to conclusions, but from what Dr. Gupta said about this disease, it seems like the boy didn't have it. I watched cnn and Dr. Gupta seemed to indicate that the Travoltas story didn't make sense. I will keep the family in my prayers.

I think it is likely that scientology may have killed the boy. It is a fact that many people have died because of scientology not allowing them to take their meds. These cases have been documented.
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The "church" is nothing if not pro-active. First comment on the Washington Post Celebrity section (eerily named "Celebritology"):

JeffSmado said:
What a tragedy. Several sources report that he hit his head during a seizure - like during an epileptic fit - which makes more sense than the unheard of "dying from autism" story. I am sure some slimy anti-scientology bastards try to jump on the bandwaggon now, so here: Scientology does not interfere with medical treatment nor medication.
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After a couple of more posts by him, someone calls him out as a Scientology shill. He responds:

Your guess is wrong, phoenixshade, I am just upset about those morons who have nothing better to do than to spread rumors, exploiting the death of a 16-year old boy. Thank you for the sources, but what are they for? Dying from autism is - literally - unheard of. In any case, it looks like Jett died from hitting his head on a bathtub. Or a seizure. Or both.
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Followed by:

Funny, I've Googled your name and found numerous references to the name. Nearly all of them are linked to issues revolving around the church of Scientology, or else smearing the name of Scientology's number one enemy, Anonymous. I guess it's just a strange coincidence that you are using the same name and posting on the same subjects here. (You even mentioned Anon... where did THAT come from??)
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pwn'd.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ce...oltas_16-year-old_son.html?hpid=news-col-blog
 
Deepest sympathies to the family. Loosing a child is a hard thing to deal with.
 
Sad indeed. Sad that the family apparently was in denial about the son's autism. Scientology's unscientific view of mental illness includes such obvious conditions as severe autism. It's like the old days of blaming everything on maternal bonding.

But the kid could have had unrelated physical problems such as Kawasaki's. It wasn't necessarily claimed by the Travoltas solely to excuse the autistic behaviors. Some good may come of this if it results in discussion of unscientific responses to illnesses where scientific treatments are available.
 
Commentary here: http://www.zimbio.com/Autism/articles/14/Autism+and+Denial

And here: http://richarddawkins.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=68006

Seizures certainly are treatable... but not to a family who thinks mental problems are caused by a "reactive mind".

This is tragic beyond belief.

But are we supposed to pretend that their faith was not implicated in any way? If Scientologists will not take anti-seizure medicines due to their fear of psychiatry, then religious convictions may well have played a role in yet another child's death.

I don't blame the parents. But how many of these are there going to be before we dismantle this notion that "faith" is a means to truth? How can you blame parents for doing what they truly believe is best when we live in a society where faith is considered the highest of virtues-- and there is no way to tell a "good" faith or a "true" faith from a false one, is there?
 
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Well, not all the facts are in. Given the parents' religion and denial of their son's condition, yes, they could be to blame for his death.

For all we know at this time, however, maybe the young man just slipped and hit his head and that's all there is to it. That's a danger even in seizures that are taken seriously and acknowledged for what they are.
 
Yes, it the picture I linked, he's walking on his toes-- that's pretty classic with autism.

In all photos he seems to avoid eye contact with anyone or the camera--also classic with autism.

I wonder if their religion gives them comfort at times like this.? I think Scientolgists have a strong belief in reincarnation. I cannot imagine a greater loss. But This Guy and CPP and others here have been able to survive such a loss, so I have no doubts that they will pull through. I hope their marriage stays strong. I am curious as to how the daughter will perceive these events in the months to come.
 
EeneyMinnieMoe said:
Well, not all the facts are in. Given the parents' religion and denial of their son's condition, yes, they could be to blame for his death.

For all we know at this time, however, maybe the young man just slipped and hit his head and that's all there is to it. That's a danger even in seizures that are taken seriously and acknowledged for what they are.
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I agree. And I imagine that their religion gives them comfort an an explanation at times like this.

He was apparently with caretakers when this occurred. But he's 16. What is the role of a caretaker for a 16 year old, I wonder. I wonder how his parents were notified... who was notified first... was the daughter there? But little is known right now.
 
If it turns out that their religious beliefs lead to their son's death, as hinted by many in this thread and the "detox" thing, you have my full consent to mock them, Articulett, because this time, religion really was the cause. ;)
 
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a_unique_person said:
He was supposedly going through a Scientology "Detox". If so, that could mean the parents are partly responsible.
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Do you have a source for this? I'm very suspicious that there could be some $cientology woo-beliefs partly (or wholly) to blame for this tragic turn of events, but I'd like to have solid evidence before I go shouting it from the rooftops. Without more evidence, I'm inclined to say this is simply a random event - the poor kid was unlucky, slipped and bashed his head. Could happen to any of us.

That said, what - if anything - does $cientology have to say about autism or anti-seizure medication?
 
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