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03 Jan 2009 05:12 pm

What Killed Jett Travolta?

We may never know, but a new report from TMZ says it was the result of a seizure and was discovered swiftly by nanny, Jeff Kathrein, a photographer and fellow Super Adventure Club member:

Police have said the last time anyone saw Jett was when he went to the bathroom on January 1. His body was discovered by nanny Jeff Kathrein the next day at 10 AM. In fact, McDermott and Ossi say it appears Jett went back and forth to his room and the fatal injury occurred "very shortly" before Jett was found on the bathroom floor -- McDermott called it a "small window of time."

McDermott and Ossi tell us two nannies were present on the trip and Jeff was by his side 24/7. There was a baby monitor device by Jett's side and there was also a chimer in the bathroom when the door opened.

An autopsy will not reveal autism, but it might help clear up some details. Quite why a 16-year-old needed a 24-hour nanny and a baby monitor device remains unclear. Kawasaki Syndrome is not among the likely reasons. A reader who copes with seizures writes:

There are many different sorts of seizures. I have the type where I lose consciousness. It sounds like Jett did as well. I had one on Saturday, and so when I heard this news, I immediately thought about my medication regimen, my home safety, and so on.

I have no idea if Jett had autism, but it is established that he had seizures. Typically, if a person has several seizures over a period of time, and has an atypical EEG, anti-epilepsy drugs (AED's) are prescribed. I would wonder if he was taking the appropriate drugs, given their public statements and their supposed religious beliefs. If he was not, they are probably now living in their own capital H hell.

People do die from seizures, and can die in several different ways.

A protracted seizure, usually tonic-clonic, where a person loses consciousness, left untreated can cause death - status epilepticus. Obviously, while seizing, people can drown, even in a bathtub. SUDEP is Sudden Unexpected Death in a person with Epilepsy, in which a person is found dead, and 1. the death is unwitnessed, so the cause is not known, but the 2. fact is established that a person had a history of seizures, 3. is otherwise physically healthy, and 4. there isn't an obvious cause of death. There isn't a way to talk about statistics associated with it that I know of ~ the risk seems to be attached with how well a person is controlled, compliance with their AED's, age, seizure history.

Anyway, people on the epilepsy boards are pouring out sympathy to the family, because it is a reality we all push to the back corners of our mind, until we are reminded of the possibility. People are also now busy trying to cram their fears back into those corners and have a normal Saturday, Sunday and so forth.

If Jett Travolta's seizures remained untreated for theological reasons, the debate is just starting.

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