Jett Travolta

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Statement on Kelly Preston's website regarding the death of Jett Travolta:

January 3, 2009

We would like to extend our deepest and most heartfelt thanks to everyone who has sent their love and condolences.

Jett was the most wonderful son that two parents could ever ask for and lit up the lives of everyone he encountered. We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives. We have received many messages of condolence from around the world and we want to thank everyone for their prayers and support. It has meant so much to us. It is a beautiful reminder of the inherent goodness in the human spirit that gives us hope for a brighter future.

With love,

John, Kelly and Ella

From the Associated Press:

John Travolta and Kelly Preston are "heartbroken" over the death of their chronically ill 16-year-old son, who collapsed at the family's vacation home on Grand Bahama, the actors said Sunday.

Police Superintendent Basil Rahming has said a caretaker found Jett Travolta unconscious in a bathroom late Friday morning and he was later pronounced dead at a Freeport hospital. The youth was last seen entering the bathroom on Thursday, according to Rahming's police statement.

"We are heartbroken that our time with him was so brief. We will cherish the time we had with him for the rest of our lives," Travolta and Preston, his wife, said in their first public statement since Jett's death.

...Preston and Travolta have said that Jett became very sick when he was 2 years old and was diagnosed with Kawasaki Syndrome, an illness that leads to inflamed blood vessels in young children. Preston 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. Others said Jett was prone to seizures.

Michael McDermott, an attorney for the actor, said Sunday that although Jett was last seen Thursday and found the following day, he doesn't believe that the teen was in the bathroom for a substantial amount of time.

"The police left the impression that the boy was unsupervised. No. There were two nannies with him for the entire evening," McDermott told The Associated Press. "They made it seem like he was sent to the condo and nobody checked in on him until the next morning."

"(Jett) was spectacularly supervised," said McDermott, who said he has not had the chance to talk to the two nannies himself.

McDermott said he had no knowledge of Jett's medical history but "understood he had a history of seizures." It is unclear whether Jett was taking medication for that.

Then there's this, from the New York Post:

The health problems of tragic teen Jett Travolta would not have been properly treated unless his celebrity Scientologist parents had rejected their religion's theories on medicine, outraged experts said yesterday.

An autism activist, who spoke on the condition that her name not be revealed, said anti-seizure medication could have controlled the attacks that cops said John Travolta's son was prone to suffering.

Police said Jett, 16, had a seizure Friday that led him to fall and hit his head on a bathtub in a Bahamas hotel.

It is not known if he was taking medication.

But the church to which his parents are devoted would have discouraged the use of any medication for the seizures that affect 25 percent of teen autistic suffers, said Scientology experts.

And his parents have repeatedly denied their son could have autism - an illness the church says doesn't exist.

"I believe this is something that was totally avoidable," said the autism activist, who asked not to be identified by name because she says she has a friendship with Travolta's brother, Joey.

"There were such clear indications that this kid had autism," she said. "It's bothered me for years.

"The irony is not lost that Joey has committed his life to working with autism and disabilities, and his brother, for religious reasons, would let this happen.

"Joey tries to be as supportive of his brother's choices as he can be, but this has really upset me."

What really upsets me is that this "anonymous" source is shooting off her mouth.

An autopsy hasn't even been done yet, but these so-called experts are outraged about the death of Jett Travolta and insisting that it was avoidable.

They are in absolutely no position whatsoever to make such claims. That's so unprofessional, not to mention sick and heartless.

That stuff is all speculation. Those alleged "experts" simply cannot declare that Jett's death was preventable. At this point, they certainly don't know that.

What they're really saying is that John Travolta and Kelly Preston were negligent as parents.

Where is the concrete evidence for such a serious charge?

Why make such statements anonymously? Why not report any concerns to authorities instead of spilling rumors to the vultures in the media?

How terrible for the Travoltas to be accused of failing to care for their son!

It must be horrible to have their very private pain become tabloid fodder. Most likely, the media circus is probably the least of their suffering. They must be so overwhelmed with grief that they aren't aware of the trash.

Still, it bothers me when the media turn tragedy into an opportunity to profit. Very sleazy. Very cruel.

I hope the Travolta family draws strength and some comfort from the many prayers and condolences they're receiving.