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The Kitchen Table

Travolta's son dies

monica_pa Grieves

15 years ago

News is reporting that John Travolta's 16 year old son Jett died after a seizure while on vacation in the Bahamas.

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Comments (16)

Happy_Go_Lucky_Gayle
15 years ago
How awful. I haven't heard that.
Vique_Pa
15 years ago
That's so sad. Having lost a child myself, I hate to see anyone else go through it. Vique
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Loss of My Son
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Comments (13)
So soory to hear of your loss. I too lost my only son on Sept. 27 2004, it is something we never get over just learn to live with it every day. He left behind 2 beautiful boys and they are my link to him. Now Christmas is upon us and we all have to get though it. Thankfully i have 2 wonderful daughters who will be with us for the holidays. This is only suppose to happen to someone else not us.my brother lost his daughter 11 years ago and it was terrible now we must go through it too. I hope you have a nice hoilday,nothing is the same but you get though each day one minute at a time. My sister gave me a little verse in a photo frame it reads Sometimes when one person is missing,the whole world seems depopulated. I thought it was so fitting for some days. But you do have your grandson like me and they do bring back some joy in our lives. Take care and come here often everyone is super great and are very helpful. darlene
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4 months after my son was killed my mother dies of cancer.
Q
Comments (8)
I am so sorry for your losses. I had a similar situation, but mine was my mother and brother. My mom had a heart attack and while she was in the hospital she also suffered a stroke. We had all of our attention on helping her get better and my 47 year old brother had a heart attack and died. On the day we were having his viewing they decided to send my mom home from the hospital. We were all in shock over her sickness, his death, and then we had to get her home and settled. My brother wasnÂt married, and he lived with my mom. I have 6 other brothers and 5 sisters all scrambling around to get things settled and get to the viewing, so some of us were there at different times, and not all of us at the same time, which probably seemed strange to friends and family that werenÂt aware of the situation. Anyway what IÂm trying to get at is we didnÂt feel we gave him proper attention during his death, so when the 6 month mark came, my mom was doing much better, and we were still in numbness and grieving, we decided to have a celebration of his life. We got the activity center at our church, invited friends and family to celebrate with us. We asked that each person write down a memory they had of my brother, and if they had any pictures to attach them to the memories, and we made them into a scrap book. It wasnÂt anything formal, just friends and family and memories. We were able to laugh and cry together and give our undivided attention to his memory. So I think maybe you could do that for your son, and get some closure to your feelings of not giving him your full attention. By the way, I think you gave all you could give considering the circumstances. Again, I am sorry for you losses!
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Angry with the doctor and hospital where my son died
Q
Comments (6)
joel31, I most definately understand exactly how you are feeling. My baby girl who would have turned 22 Nov 30, died on Nov 15, 2009. It is the most defistating thing I have ever felt in my entire life and mind you I have lost my husband on June 1990 while I was 5 months pregnant with his son and had a 2 yr old daughter, my older brother Sept 2006, my dad on my 40 th birthday in 2007 and now my baby girl. I too believe that the doctors and medical team failed my daughter and I seeked the advice of two attorney's who said I do have a case. I would tell you the story of why I felt this way but it is way too long but if your ever interested in knowing why, feel free to e-mail me. Anyways, I have to go and get her medical CHARTS for the attorney to look through but I am going to fight this last fight for my daughter and so it will NEVER happen to anyone else out there, they have a code of ethics and they are to follow that code of ethics, that code of ethics is for them to do every thing possible to help individuals in saving there lives. I was told though you only have 2 yrs to go after those who didn't do there job correctly. If I seem like I am angry, that's because I am. They took my baby way too soon. I despise them for that. I say talk to an attorney and see what they say, I did. And for asolo, if you don't have anything nice to help people out with than keep your snotty comments too yourself. This site is too help others deal with their grief and beable to vent over their feelings and that's all. Find another site to be spitful on, not this one...
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My step sons are so negative and one of them might turn violent
Q
Comments (9)
You say you've threatened to call the cops if they physically hurt their sister... it sounds like you may have to do more than threaten if it ever happens again. Physical abuse is a crime, and I don't think you have to be 18 to be accountable. There is a very clear line of what can and can't be condoned, talked through or otherwise worked out and physical abuse is over that line. The boys need to know very plainly and in no uncertain terms that if they hurt the girls or anyone else, they will be picked up by the cops. As for the other stuff (lying, refusing to do chores), well, obviously that's harder to deal with because it's more vague. But I think it's safe to say that in most human dealings, the best way to influence or improve somebody's behavior is to make it real unpleasant for them to continue what they're doing... to make it in their interest to change their behavior. And let them know the deal so there is no surprise or uncertainty so that if they choose to misbehave they have no one to blame for the repercussions they suffer but themselves. It may not prove a foolproof method, but I'd guess it's worth a try. Like for example: "Dude, you are NOT going to like what happens if I hear you call your sister a bad name again, because you're not going to like scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush and vinegar at 5:00 in the morning. Your choice." Or: "yeah I know you don't really feel like doing the dishes. And I don't really feel like cooking you dinner or paying for your phone either. If you back out on your promises and contributions to the family, I guess others in the family have a right to back out on their promises and contributions to you. It's much better for all of us if we all pitch in and do things to help each other out. But again, your choice." You as the step-parent who isn't even living full-time with the step-kids REALLY don't have to do anything for them. Their mom obviously has to provide a basic decent level of care and make sure there's food in the house for them to eat, etc. But at their age she doesn't have to cook it! There are plenty of "extra" things you and she can leverage and refuse to do for them until they learn to behave decently, without running the risk of being negligent parents. In the meantime, though, do proceed with family counseling. Even though the boys' behavior desperately needs changing, it sounds like there are some genuine adjustment problems and anger issues that need to be addressed. Especially with the older boy, who sadly sounds like he has had a lot in his life to be angry about. He just can't be allowed to continue expressing it in the ways that he has been.
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susan_on
15 years ago
That is so sad. They really seem like family people.
alisande
15 years ago
Oh, no! That's terrible.
Linda Wayman
15 years ago
That's just so terribly sad. I feel so sorry for the family.

Linda
naughtykitty
15 years ago
I remember that he and wife Kelly were big advocates of lessening toxins after Jett got sick from the carpet cleaner they used. This was years ago. I am so sad to hear that he passed away. They must be devestated.
FlamingO in AR
15 years ago
What an awful thing to have happen. I am so sorry for them all.
liz
15 years ago
This is so heartbreaking...From the news accounts I've read, John and Kelly absolutely adore their children...How so very sad for them...
trinitytx
15 years ago
Oprah adores John and Kelly, and I can only imagine she is devestated also.
They were such advocates for autism. If I am not mistaken he was their oldest?

Trin
maddielee
15 years ago
trinityx wrote: "They were such advocates for autism".

Were they? Because I thought they never accepted or treated their son's condition (Autism) because of their Scientology beliefs.

ML
sue_va
15 years ago
I read somewhere today that the family said he was not autistic; he had Kawasaki Syndrome.

Sue
shea
15 years ago
My GD got Kawasaki disease at the age of four, and it was from reading up on the disease that I saw the story of the Travolta's son and learned that one of the causes can be a chemical in carpet cleaners. I think that is how my grand-daughter got it, because they had moved into their apartment about a month before she showed symptoms. And usually the last thing apt. management does in prepping an apartment for new occupants is clean the carpet. If she got on the floor and played on still-damp carpet (and where else would a 4-yr-old play in an empty room), you can see how this can happen.

Please never let your children in a room where the carpet has just been cleaned. It should be thoroughly dry, I'd even wait several days.
intherain
15 years ago
I think it might be more than being around freshly cleaned carpets.

I heard the same as maddie lee, but who knows?

No matter what, they are hurting after losing their only son.
Granlan_TX
15 years ago
This news is just beyond sad...how awful, how tragic! ;(
shea
15 years ago
Intherain, certainly there are other causes besides freshly cleaned carpets. The experts cannot agree on a cause for the disease, but it is thought to be environmental. And a chemical in some (not all) carpet cleaners is suspected of being a culprit. It is a common thread among many children who have contracted the disease. If it is even a remote possibility, I think it's a good idea to get word out to those with young children. I learned this from the Travolta's efforts to share their experience. It's very tragic that they are now facing such a devastating loss.

I researched this disease at length about 2-1/2 - 3 years ago, but haven't recently and there may be further discoveries since then.
clubm
15 years ago
So sad for the family.

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