On the face of it John Travolta would seem to have it all; fame, fortune, cougar of a wife, his own jumbo jet that he can fly anywhere he damn well likes, got to dance with Princess Diana and probably even got to keep the suits he wore in Saturday Night Fever.
Some life huh? Only last week all that paled into comparison to life itself with the passing of Travolta's teenage son, Jett. Now normally I write a lot of shit on here but the death of a child is not something I would even remotely consider making fun of.
As a father I can appreciate Travolta's grief and the out pouring of emotion that comes with it, from the man himself and those who knew him. All except Tom Cruise. That guy still has a long way to go before he gets back in my good book. It all started the day he invented the colour pink...
But, the death of Jett Travolta is interesting because it inadvertently bought to the public eye more workings of the A grade nut job conglomerate that is the 'Church' of Scientology, of which John Travolta and wife Kelly Preston are signed up, paid up members. Big time. I use parenthesis when calling it a 'church' because it isn't. It is however an organisation that would very much like to be known as a religion because religious groups don't have to pay tax in most countries where they are officially recognised as a religion.
Jett, according to the Travoltas, suffered from Kawasaki Syndrome, an extremely rare affliction that causes an inflammation of the middle-sized arteries. It affects many organs, including the skin, mucous membranes, lymph nodes, and blood vessel walls, but the most serious effect is on the heart. Kawasaki syndrome is not known to cause fits and seizures. Autism on the other hand, is a brain development disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behaviour. Autism is known to cause is often characterised by fits and seizures
Scientology, thought up by a science fiction writer who wanted to make a fast buck (and is on record for saying so), does not believe in Autism, epilepsy or any condition that causes seizures. That means John Travolta doesn't believe in Autism. Now I'm no expert in anything but everything, but even I know that's going to cause an ethical problem when in all likelihood it's your own child who has an affliction you don't believe exists, for no other reason than a guy who wrote stories about alien invasions told you so.
Actually there's not much in the medical department that Scientology does believe and that includes the use of prescribed medication to treat an illness like Autism. So that meant the Travolta's treated young Jett – not with anti-seizure medication – but with courses of vitamins, sauna visits, and running therapy known as the Purification Rundown. Now alternative medicine, homeopathy, Grandma’s remedies -whatever name you give it, is almost as big a sham as Scientology, so put the two together and you have a recipe for disaster, as the Travoltas may have just found out.
One of the first things I heard in the initial news reports of Jett’s death was that it was unsure if any drugs were involved. The classic assumption that is always inevitably made when someone from Hollywood dies unexpectedly. The irony of course is that being a Scientologist (although not by choice) Jett wasn’t on any pills, of any sort.
The final nail in the coffin of this case – no pun intended – was that Jett’s body was not found for several hours and when it eventually was it was found by a caregiver of his that had no care giving or medical experience. Which are sort of prerequisites you would think, when hiring someone to look after your disabled son. The caregiver that found Jett and quite possibly should have been there with him sooner, is a paid up member of the Cult of Scientology though.
Which says it all really.
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