Our seizure nightmare

Chicago Tribune ^ | 1/13/2009 | Randolph Siegel

[GVnana]

As a media executive and father of a child whose life has been derailed by uncontrolled seizures, I watched the Jett Travolta tragedy unfold with particular sadness.

The Travolta family deserved much better from the media, especially those invasive and sensationalistic TV shows, Web sites and magazines whose feeding frenzy was nothing short of despicable.

[GVnana]

Randolph Siegel is president and publisher of Parade Publications and a member of the board of CURE, Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy.

[GVnana]

ka ping.

[DainBramage]

Yeah but its okay to trash Palins special needs child as being illegitimate.

[GVnana]

I hear people get blogging awards for such things.

[Psycho_Bunny]

There's no excuse for the behavior but, it's the price they pay for the millions they make.

Horrible as that sounds.

[bubbacluck]

He can stop watching the trash media, and encourage others to do the same. Think of all the free time he would then have.

[5thGenTexan]

I posted a comment agreeing with him and asking him if he believed that conservative families like the Palins deserved the same privacy he thought the Travoltas did.

[GVnana]

I gather Mr. Siegel is a believer in the educational role of the media.

[GVnana]

GOOD!

[Arizona Carolyn]

Thank you for posting this GVnana.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Well that didn’t take long. What does this have to do with Palin (BTW I don’t like all the stuff being spread about her either).

[Arizona Carolyn]

I must have missed something — did he do an article on the Palin family?

[MIT-Elephant]

“He can stop watching the trash media, and encourage others to do the same. Think of all the free time he would then have.”

I counted recently and found I watch 2.5 hours of TV per week - I TiVo three shows, two one-hours and a half-hour, and fast forward through the ads. I also watch Saturday college football but that’s over until September.

Sometimes I watch Jeopardy, again on TiVo. I wasn’t out to diss the media, I just decided I had better things to do than consume what they were selling. Bingo, I have more free time and have never felt better.

[Dianna]

Maybe Mr. Media Executive ought to ask his deep pocket Hollywood friends to stop throwing their time and money at AIDS and help out with epilepsy instead.

[sadiebella]

I also don’t understand what this has to do with Palin?

Regardless of how much money these people make, the death of their son should have been off limits. Report the facts, report on the statements of family and friends but that’s it. Ultimately, the cause of death or the nature of this kid’s condition shouldn’t matter to anyone except for family and friends. I found it disgusting that people were “diagnosing” the kid as autistic based on paparazzi photos and videos. I don’t understand why respect is thrown out of the window when celebrities are involved.

[b9]

Thank you!

[Arizona Carolyn]

Same here. By all accounts these were(are) committed, loving, parents who both make no bones their universe revolves around their family. When I read an old story about when Jett was born, John took him and held him for hours while Kellie slept. He said they would come in and want to put him down and he would just say no, come back later, I'm not ready to let him go. He once said he didn't mind that his career went cold the first years of Jett's life because that gave him more time with his wife and child. I came across an old article in a local Maine paper where they were interviewing Kellie on her family and their life up in Maine (she cans and bakes). How many women who have been married fourteen years can say all their husband has to do is look at them and they start to get all flush?

Someone on Ocla said he brought Jett in for a new pair of shoes recently and was so gentle with him and making certain they fit well and didn't hurt him in any way. Every child would love to have parents who cared this much for them, over their careers and all else. One article said Ella adored her brother and was always making certain he was okay..

This family has a huge hole in it's middle right now...

[no dems]

It’s a shame the Chicago Tribune, Parade Magazine and all the other liberal rags in the U.S., was not as kind to Sarah Palin and her family when they were put through hell because it was alleged, by the libs who hate her, that her special needs child was the illegitimate child of her daughter.

[MainFrame65]

My adult son died of a seizure on June 27, 2005. His seizures had been halted by medication for several years, but had returned a few years previously even with medication. I am looking at a large bottle full of 300 mg Carbatrol capsules that was his last prescription.

The seizures had cost him one job after another - they broke down his marriage, and eventually took his life, when he accidentally got face down on his pillow and died - without any sensation of pain or discomfort. I carry all of that - and it will never leave me.

I found him within no more that 15 minutes, and worked to total exhaustion trying to revive him with CPR - I would not stop until the EMT’s were in place to take over from me, and collapsed when they did. My wife was at her Oncologist, halfway through chemotherapy and quite ill from it, which, paradoxically, seemed to protect her from the shock and sadness.

Seizures can and do kill, and NO medical treatment can be counted on to absolutely, permanently, and completely prevent a future episode. Furthermore, MANY seizures can be partially controlled by diet - specifically, a ketogenic diet - so “natural” cures ARE possible.

Travolta is kooky, but he is an intelligent, caring, family man and did not deserve what was said about him.