Calif. Woman Says She Was Removed from Flight Over 'Unpleasant' Medical Condition: 'Humiliating'
A woman with neurofibromatosis, which causes tumors to grow, had just undergone surgery when she was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight
KTLA 5/YouTube
Brianna Solari, a nurse from Sacramento, says she was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight due to her appearance.A woman with a genetic disorder that causes the growth of non-cancerous tumors says she was removed from a flight due to her appearance.
Brianna Solari, a nurse from Sacramento, struggles with a genetic condition called neurofibromatosis (NF), which the Mayo Clinic says causes “changes in skin pigment and tumors on nerve tissue.”
It's a rare, incurable illness — but surgery is an option for treatment.
She had traveled to Los Angeles for specialized surgery, telling KTLA, “I’m aware of how I look with all of these scabs on me.”
“I know it’s unpleasant. I suffer from a genetic illness and I got surgery to improve my appearance and improve self-esteem,” she told the outlet.
Solari says she arrived at the Hollywood Burbank Airport on August 1, and prepared to return home on Southwest Airlines. Once in her seat, she says she covered herself with a headband and a facemask.
However, shortly after she was in her seat, she told KTLA that a flight attendant approached her about her appearance.
“He said there were some concerns about whether or not I had any kind of communicable disease,” Solari said. “He mentioned chickenpox specifically.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
According to regulations listed by the Department of Transportation, "the carrier should not refuse to provide transportation to an individual if provision of a medical certificate or reasonable modifications to practices, policies, or procedures will mitigate the risk of communication of the disease to others to extent that would permit the individual to travel."
However, Solari said she offered to show her discharge paperwork from the hospital to Southwest Airlines employees at the gate, but, “He said ‘No, we can’t see that.’ “
Solari wasn’t allowed to reboard until her doctor emailed a letter of medical clearance — which arrived after her flight departed.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Stock image of a Southwest Airlines plane.“I had to give my phone to the employees. They read the letter [from my doctor] to the [airport’s] physician, and they said, ‘Oh yeah, she can go,’ “ said Solari, who added that it was five hours before she was able to be placed on another flight.
“It was embarrassing. It was humiliating,” she told KTLA. “Believe it when people say, 'I had surgery and I shouldn’t have to discuss this with airline employees who are not medical professionals.' ”
A spokesperson at Southwest Airlines told PEOPLE, "We are disheartened to learn of the Customer’s experience flying with us and extend our deepest apologies for the inconvenience. Even though our Team ultimately received clearance for the Customer to travel, we weren’t able to do so in time for the flight’s departure. We rebooked her on a later flight, offered a travel voucher for a future flight along with a meal voucher, and we’re following up with her directly to discuss the situation."
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
