What exactly is this Kawasaki Syndrome—the rare disorder that John Travolta had said his son had suffered from before dying today at the age of sixteen?
According to the Mayo Clinic's website, it's an uncommon disorder that affects children, "that causes inflammation in the walls of small- and medium-sized arteries throughout the body, including the coronary arteries." It comes with a variety of unpleasant symptoms, including diarrhea and lots of skin peeling. But in most cases children suffering from Kawasaki Syndrome make complete recoveries after receiving proper treatment. While promoting Ladder 49 in 2005, Travolta described what he said was the first time Jett suffered from Kawasaki Syndrome when he was 15 months old:
"He was hospitalised for five days. His whole body swelled up, it was chemical poisoning, from picking up toys or food particles from the carpet."
The supposed culprit was a carpet cleaner, so the family decided to go natural. Travolta's wife Kelly Preston told the Mirror in 2004:
Jett's whole immune system shut down and he got really sick with high fevers - 104and 105. He developed a rash on his body and swollen lymph glands - it was horrible. ... We're 90 per cent organic, though there's some canned foods - a little bit of junk food here and there.