John Travolta's 16yr old son dies

[me]

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/john-travoltas-16-year-old-son-dies-in-bahamas/17122?nc

NASSAU, Bahamas - John Travolta's teenage son, Jett, died in the Bahamas after falling ill and hitting his head at his family's vacation home, police said Friday. A house caretaker found Jett, 16, unconscious in a bathroom late Friday morning. He was taken by ambulance to a Freeport hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a statement from chief police superintendent Basil Rahming.

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.

Another police spokeswoman, Loretta Mackey, said Jett apparently hit his head on the bathtub.

A spokeswoman for Rand Memorial Hospital in Freeport said she could not release any information because of privacy concerns.

Jett was the oldest child of Travolta and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, who also have an 8-year-old daughter. The family arrived on a private plane Tuesday and had been vacationing at their home in the Old Bahama Bay resort community.

"The Travolta family has become like family to us at Old Bahama Bay and we extend our deepest sympathies to them," said Robert Gidel, president of Ginn Resorts, the property's owner.



Mia Farrow has also lost a daughter .....

NEW YORK - Lark Previn, a daughter of actress Mia Farrow whose sister Soon-Yi Previn was at the center of Farrow's messy breakup with Woody Allen, has died. She was 35.

Lark Previn died Christmas Day at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, the medical examiner's office said. No cause of death was given. A cremation was held Tuesday at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery.

Lark Previn was born in Vietnam in 1973. She was one of three children adopted by Farrow and her then-husband, conductor Andre Previn. The couple also had three biological children.

Representatives for Farrow and Previn didn't immediately return calls seeking comment.

Farrow adopted two children and had a biological son during her relationship with Allen. She starred in several of Allen's movies during their relationship, which ended in 1992 when she discovered that Allen was having an affair with her adopted daughter Soon-Yi, then 22.

The bitter custody battle that followed featured accusations by Farrow that Allen had sexually abused adopted daughter Dylan, 7. Allen was exonerated of the abuse charges but Farrow won sole custody of the children.

Soon-Yi Previn married Allen, who is 35 years her senior, in 1997. They have two adopted daughters.

The Farrow-Allen custody fight featured court testimony that Farrow favored her biological children over her adopted children, including Lark. A movie producer testified on Allen's behalf that Lark was viewed as a "scullery maid" who "did most of the chores." Farrow's supporters

[kimmi]

I saw these.  So sad.

[Dexter Morgan]

I didn't even know he had kids!!!!  That was a real shock. On some sites there has been speculation that his son was autistic, and they wouldn't acknowledge it because of his religion. He also could have been Epileptic, and needing medication to control seizures. They may have been  denying him medication. If that's true there is somethin' veeerrrrry wrong here.     I just watched the movie "Lonely Hearts". John has a major roll in that movie, and did pretty good. He was quite large though. Maybe they should have used a different angle or different lens on the camera. 

[me]

I didn't even know he had kids!!!!  That was a real shock. On some sites there has been speculation that his son was autistic, and they wouldn't acknowledge it because of his religion. He also could have been Epileptic, and needing medication to control seizures. They may have been  denying him medication. If that's true there is somethin' veeerrrrry wrong here.     I just watched the movie "Lonely Hearts". John has a major roll in that movie, and did pretty good. He was quite large though. Maybe they should have used a different angle or different lens on the camera. 

They said what it was on the news tonight and I was going to look it up and forgot what it was.  I had never heard of what ever it was. 

[me]

I just heard a reporter say it was Kawasaki disease.  There is a commercial on now but I'm sure they will say what that is.  If they don't I'm going to look it up.

[me]

http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/heart/kawasaki.html
Kawasaki disease is an illness that involves the skin, mouth, and lymph nodes, and most often affects kids under age 5. The cause is unknown, but if the symptoms are recognized early, kids with Kawasaki disease can fully recover within a few days. Untreated, it can lead to serious complications that can affect the heart.

Kawasaki disease occurs in 19 out of every 100,000 kids in the United States. It is most common among children of Japanese and Korean descent, but can affect all ethnic groups.
Signs and Symptoms

Kawasaki disease can't be prevented, but usually has telltale symptoms and signs that appear in phases.

The first phase, which can last for up to 2 weeks, usually involves a persistent fever higher than 104° Fahrenheit (39° Celsius) and lasts for at least 5 days.

Other symptoms that typically develop include:

    * severe redness in the eyes
    * a rash on the stomach, chest, and genitals
    * red, dry, cracked lips
    * swollen tongue with a white coating and big red bumps
    * sore, irritated throat
    * swollen palms of the hands and soles of the feet with a purple-red color
    * swollen lymph nodes

During the second phase, which usually begins within 2 weeks of when the fever started, the skin on the hands and feet may begin to peel in large pieces. The child also may experience joint pain, diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain. If your child shows any of these symptoms, call your doctor.
Complications

Doctors can manage the symptoms of Kawasaki disease if they catch it early. Symptoms often disappear within just 2 days of the start of treatment. If Kawasaki disease is treated within 10 days of the onset of symptoms, heart problems usually do not develop.

Cases that go untreated can lead to more serious complications, such as vasculitis, an inflammation of the blood vessels. This can be particularly dangerous because it can affect the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart.

In addition to the coronary arteries, the heart muscle, lining, valves, and the outer membrane that surrounds the heart can become inflamed. Arrhythmias (changes in the normal pattern of the heartbeat) or abnormal functioning of some heart valves also can occur.
Diagnosis

No single test can detect Kawasaki disease, so doctors usually diagnose it by evaluating the symptoms and ruling out other conditions.

Most kids diagnosed with Kawasaki disease will have a fever lasting 5 or more days and at least four of these symptoms:

    * redness in both eyes
    * changes around the lips, tongue, or mouth
    * changes in the fingers and toes, such as swelling, discoloration, or peeling
    * a rash in the trunk or genital area
    * a large swollen lymph node in the neck
    * red, swollen palms of hands and soles of feet

If Kawasaki disease is suspected, the doctor may order tests to monitor heart function (such as an echocardiogram) and might take blood and urine samples to rule out other conditions, such as scarlet fever, measles, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or an allergic drug reaction.
Treatment

Treatment should begin as soon as possible, ideally within 10 days of when the fever begins. Usually, a child is treated with intravenous doses of gamma globulin (purified antibodies), an ingredient of blood that helps the body fight infection. The child also might be given a high dose of aspirin to reduce the risk of heart problems.

Reviewed by: Joel Klein, MD
Date reviewed: October 2008

[kimmi]

Very interesting.  I've never heard of it.

[me]

I never had either. 

[Palehorse]

The reports I read indicated a seizure is what killed him. . .

[Dexter Morgan]

Dr. Sanjay Gupta said it's almost unheard of, for a sixteen year old to have symptoms of Kawasaki disease. He said most people with it grow out of it.  I'm leaning more towards Epilepsy that was left untreated. I hope that wasn't the case but, I think it may have been. I don't understand some of these radical religions. I'm not slamming peoples beliefs but..... when you put your children at risk.... you've crossed the line IMO. This is a cult that they are involved with, and that type of situation can become very dangerous for everybody involved. Tom Cruise certainly flipped his nut over it.  I never liked him to begin with ,and now he is just plain sickening. 

[Palehorse]

This will drive JT to leave scientology I suspect . . .

[me]

This will drive JT to leave scientology I suspect . . .

I sure hope so.  The Dr. on TV did say that it is unusual for a child over the age of 5 to have that disease.

[Palehorse]

JT's a reasonable guy who just got caught up in the trendiness of the thing I suspect. He and Kelly will rethink this moving forward; I hope so anyway.

[awol]

Very interesting.  I've never heard of it.

it's usually called "saturday night fever".


too soon?

[American_Woman]

Sad.