McAllen, Texas: Teen Lance Benson drowns in backyard pool

June 15, 2010 8:19 PM
Lindsay Machak
The Monitor

McALLEN — A family’s night of fun in the pool turned fatal Monday when 15-year old Lance Benson had a seizure and slipped beneath the water’s surface.

His family said the autistic teen suffered from convulsions that caused him to drown in their backyard pool on the 3100 block of Gull Street in McAllen.

Lance wasn’t swimming unattended, his aunt Rosie Garza said. His family was out enjoying the start of summer vacation when his father noticed something was wrong and found him at the bottom of the pool.

“It was an accident,” she said. “They swam every day.”

Garza, 51, of McAllen, recalls how much joy her nephew had when he was in the pool. He learned how to swim at the age of 3, and activities like swimming kept him at ease.

“He didn’t speak but he understood everything,” she said.

Lance was over 6 feet tall, but he knew how dangerous the pool could be and often stayed in the shallow end, Garza said. He was in the pool’s shallow area, where the water is 3 feet deep — when he had the seizure and drowned.

Lance attended Fossum Middle School and was excited every morning about going to school.

“He would put on his backpack and wait for the bus to come,” Garza said. “He really liked school.”

Garza said she would come over to see her two nephews, but it won’t be the same now that Lance is gone.

“He was beautiful,” she said. “I loved him so much.”

McAllen police continue to investigate the incident. No information was available about a possible autopsy or whether any criminal wrongdoing was suspected.

Willows, California: Man jailed for abuse and neglect in connection with the death of his brother, Walter Knox Hildebrand Jr.

By GREG WELTER-Staff Writer
Posted: 08/04/2010 10:50:42 AM PDT

WILLOWS — A Willows man has been arrested following a lengthy investigation for possibly contributing to the death of his 20-year-old brother in November 2009, in Elk Creek.

Stuart Allen Hildebrand, 22, was booked into the Glenn County Jail in Willows Monday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and causing pain, suffering or injury to an elder or dependent adult. Hildebrand's brother, Walter Knox Hildebrand Jr., suffered from autism. Walter Hildebrand was found dead on the floor of a bedroom inside a mobile home on County Road 306. Investigators said his body had numerous scratches, cuts and facial bruising. His death was reported by his brother.

An autopsy revealed that the man died of apparent seizure activity due to a known disorder. Although the cause of death is natural, Sheriff Larry Jones said the potential for criminal negligence and physical abuse was present.

The autopsy further revealed that autism and malnutrition were contributing factors in the young man's death.

After several interviews with family members, friends and the suspect, a complaint was issued with the Glenn County District Attorney's office and an arrest warrant issued. Hildebrand is being held on bail of $35,000.

Naussau, Bahamas: John Travolta's son, Jett Travolta, dies after a seizure

Jett Travolta, age 16

NASSAU (Reuters) – The teenage son of actor John Travolta died suddenly on Friday during a family vacation in the Bahamas, according to the family's lawyer.

Jett Travolta, 16, suffered a seizure at his family's vacation home at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island, attorney Michael Ossi said.

Attempts were made to revive him, but he died at the scene, Ossi said.

Jett, who had a history of seizures, was the eldest child of Travolta and his wife, actress Kelly Preston. They also have a daughter, Ella Blue, who was born in 2000.

Worcester, Massachussetts: Tribute to Elias Tembenis

Elias Tembenis, age 7

Continental walk to fight autism
CARRYING A MESSAGE ACROSS AMERICA
By Lisa D. Welsh TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER — “One step at a time” is an apt description of life now for Harry and Gina Tembenis, who lost their only child, 7-year-old Elias, last November.

It also defines The Elias Tembenis Walk for Autism, a 3,000-mile walk across the country that their good friends, Robert Williams and Bobby Genese begin today in San Francisco.

Elias was diagnosed with autism when he was four months old. After watching the family care for Elias and then struggle to come to terms with the boy’s short life after what his father called an “absolute monstrous seizure,” the pair offered their help.

“They just came to us and said ‘we feel really bad about what happened,’ ” Mr. Tembenis said. “We thought they would make a donation in his name or have a fundraising party. And then they said ‘We want to walk across the country to raise awareness about Elias’s autism.’

“I’m honored, humbled and I’m very blessed to have them do this,” he said.

According to Mr. Tembenis, Elias began having seizures after his four-month checkup, when he received four vaccinations in one day for nine different diseases. Elias is one of 4,900 children represented in a lawsuit filed by Autism Omnibus that alleges vaccines caused autism in the children.

On Nov. 9, 2007, a landmark court decision came in the vaccine-autism debate when the division of vaccine injury compensation of the federal Department of Health and Human Services conceded the case of Hannah Poling v. Sec HHS, stating that the 9-year-old Georgia girl’s vaccinations aggravated her mitochondrial disorder, resulting in “features of autism spectrum disorder.”

Mr. Tembenis said that like his son, Hannah Poling appeared healthy until she received four shots for nine diseases in one day and suffered her first seizure. Should the Tembenis family receive money from the suit, it will be capped at $250,000, which would not cover the $400,000 they have in medical bills.

“This isn’t about getting rich. It’s about accountability,” Mr. Tembenis said. “The doctors were pretty tight-lipped, but being parents, we knew something was wrong.

“What the guys are doing goes a long way in leaving a legacy to our son,” he said.

Both 36 and single, Mr. Williams and Mr. Genese last week packed their belongings and headed to California. To make the nine-month trek, Mr. Williams took a leave of absence from Diorios, the hair salon owned by his family on Plantation Street and from his work as a rigger at the DCU Center and Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Mr. Genese is a familiar boxer in the city. He fought most recently in an exhibition bout against Jose Antonio Rivera at the Palladium during the annual event presented by the Worcester Police Gang Unit Boxing Club. He left his job at Jillian’s on such good terms that the company’s franchise in San Francisco held a sendoff party in the walkers’ honor Sunday.

“What they’re doing means the world to us,” said Heather Nejaimey, the sister of Gina Tembenis. “They’ve put light into a situation that was really dark.”

During their walk along Route 50 and the American Discovery Trail, each will carry a backpack of basic supplies. On their way out to California, they buried water in the desert and food is being mailed to post offices situated every 50 to 70 miles. They expect to end their walk in Washington, D.C., before Christmas.

With support from the National Autism Association, fundraising events will be held along the walk to help them reach their goal of raising $1 million.

But between a couple of sendoff events in Worcester, and a few corporate sponsors, they raised $22,000 before they even took one step in a warm-up walk over the Golden Gate Bridge yesterday.

“It was a pretty thrilling experience,” said Mr. Williams. “It was foggy, so you couldn’t see the top of the bridge, but it was still pretty breathtaking.

“I’m feeling excited and overwhelmed. … After all of the planning, determining where to have the meal drops, burying the water last week in the desert, thinking of the gear that I want to be on my back for the next six months. It’s very surreal.”

Included in that backpack is some solar-powered equipment, including digital recording cameras that will document their travels.

Miss Nejaimey will post the pictures on www.myspace.com//eliastembeniswalk. Spectrum Magazine, an online publication for families of people with autism and developmental disabilities, is featuring them in its June issue at http://spectrumpublications.com and ABCNews.com is doing a profile at the end of June.