An Unhappy New Year

It must have been terribly difficult for the Travoltas to utter words of cheer in welcoming the new year. I may not be a parent yet, but the news of their eldest son’s death broke my heart into pieces. I could just imagine how deafening it must’ve been in the Bahamas that day when John’s and Kelly’s hearts screamed in pain. Jett Travolta, only sixteen, died of seizure last January 2, 2009. He was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease when he was two. John will never forget that incident when they nearly lost their eldest due to the aggravated symptoms of the rare disease. It must’ve been so hard kissing little Jett on the forehead before heading for work, not knowing if another dreadful attack would come. But the Travoltas woke up joyful from every possible nightmare that must’ve haunted their lives, for they were truly blessed with a beautiful son and daughter.

Losing Jett was already too much pain. The last thing that the family needed was to hear speculations relating their son’s death to Scientology and autism. We live in a democratic country, I know, but can’t we just hold our tongues for just a teensy-weensy moment? A little respect for a grieving family won’t rob America of its democracy. Sure we want to be open-minded people, but it pays a lot, too, to understand how much respect can be an act of a higher level of open-mindedness. I’m no Travolta fan, but I do think that these issues have their proper time and venue. Rest in peace, Jett Travolta.