With the death of John Travolta's son, questions are being raised about Scientology and Kawasaki disease - a rare illness in children.
I spoke to two local doctors about Kawasaki disease. They said the illness impacts ages 2 to 5. Symptoms include prolong fever, rash, eye redness, swollen lymph nodes in the neck and swollen hands and feet.
With medication, children can recover without serious problems though in some the heart is affected. John Travolta and Kelly Preston's son, Jett, was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease as a toddler. He also had a history of seizures. The 16-year-old died after being found Friday in the family's vacation home in the Bahamas.
An autopsy was conducted Monday and his death certificate says he died from a seizure, according to the Associated Press. While seizures are not linked to Kawasaki disease, local doctors say, they are not uncommon in children.
Travolta and Preston, who have a home in Ocala, are Scientologists and their son was born at Halifax Health Medical Center during their time living at Spruce Creek Fly-In. Family friends told a celebrity Web site that Jett was on seizure medication for several years, but stopped after it lost its effectiveness and was causing physical damage. The Church of Scientology web site www.scientologytoday.org states Scientologists believe in medical drugs when someone is physical ill.
For more on Kawasaki disease and Scientology, go to http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/frtHEAD03010609.htm.
Associated Press photos.
Supposedly, from what I've read, Jett Travolta may have actually been autistic. The Scientology couple cannot even publicly admit that their son may have been afflicted with a neurological disorder, lest - according to the incontrovertible doctrine of Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard - he be labeled a "degraded being" that brought his affliction onto himself. Instead, the Travoltas have long blamed their son's disability on Kawasaki Syndrome-related "environmental toxins," specifically carpet cleaning chemicals.
Scientology will not even recognize the disability, let alone the myriad therapies for treating it.