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Kelly Preston talks publicly for the first time about her late son Jett Travolta and his autism
Published: 11/20/2012 2:45 PM
Last Modified: 11/20/2012 2:54 PM


Actress Kelly Preston talks with Dr. Travis Stork on "The Doctors," airing at 9 a.m. Wednesday on Fox, channel 23, cable 5. COURTESY

For the first time, Kelly Preston opens up about her late son's medical condition Wednesday on the syndicated health series "The Doctors."

Actors Preston and husband John Travolta lost their 16-year-old son Jett after he suffered a seizure in the shower while the family was vacationing in the Bahamas in 2009.

"(Jett) was autistic and he had seizures and, when he was very young, he had Kawasaki syndrome," she tells Drs. Jim Sears and Travis Stork on the show airing at 9 a.m. Wednesday on Fox, channel 23, cable 5.

"I talked to all of the parents in ICU once he was out of the woods and they had a questionnaire...and everybody answered that...they had had their carpets cleaned recently...," she says in the video preview.

"Through these different things, I strongly believe as a mother, as does my husband, that there are certain contributing factors that lead to autism."

Preston, who is trying to raise awareness of the effects of chemicals in consumer products and pesticides in foods, talks about her own lifestyle while she was pregnant with Jett, and what she thinks were potential contributing factors to his diseases.

She tells Stork and Sears that she suffered from food poisoning when she was five months pregnant with her son, was given medication that resulted in a "fast and hard" labor, suffered a torn placenta which caused an infection and high fever and took prescribed antibiotics while breastfeeding as conditions contributing to his autism and seizures.

"I'm not saying that you can't have antibiotics when you're breastfeeding, but it gave him thrush (a yeast infection that typically occurs in the mouth), which can cause...leaky gut," she speculates.

"There were certain other contributing factors - plus the Kawasaki - that I believe absolutely is why he had autism and also why he had seizures."

"The Doctors" weigh-in on the "controversial" topic of autism and also speak with Preston about her recent pregnancy, dropping the baby weight, and how her family's life has changed with the addition of Benjamin John, who is 2-years-old. She and Travolta are also the parents of Ella Blue, 11.

And, the show also shares never-before-seen home video of Kelly Preston and husband John Travolta with Benjamin.

Here's a preview, courtesy "Entertainment Tonight," CBS Television Distribution/Stage 29 Productions LLC





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Rita Sherrow grew up with TV. Yes, it was the ever-present “sister” from another techno mother. At first look, it was instant "Like." From then on, the TV had to be on in every room while she studied, elementary school through college. An Air Force brat, she attended school in three states (Oklahoma, Montana and Georgia) and two foreign countries (Germany and Bermuda) and graduated from Broken Arrow High School and the University of Tulsa with a degree in journalism/advertising. She first interned in the advertising world but, when a J-School professor (who also covered politics for the Tulsa World) offered her an internship at the newspaper, she took him up on it. The rest is history. She has served as bridal editor, senior features writer for the women’s section, food editor and is television editor of the Tulsa World. In addition to writing about TV shows and interviewing the stars for “Scene” stories, she also writes a TV column for Weekend and produces the Sunday TV World listings magazine.

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