A mother of two battling breast cancer had the misfortune of being aggressively handled by TSA agents at Los Angeles International Airport. She said that no one should be treated the way she was.
Denise Albert, 42, flew previously over the course of her cancer treatment. However, her experience Sunday with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was the first time she was subjected to the treatment shown in a video she uploaded to Facebook, she said.
For people receiving cancer treatment, airport security can be problematic especially when, like Albert, patients use a port that sits just under their skin and allows chemotherapy to be administered more easily. Other issues such as open sores and the need to transport medical creams can complicate traveling. However, TSA agents are meant to be understanding of these situations.
She first went through a pre-check, but “once through the scanner they asked me to take off my shoes,” she wrote on Facebook. Albert was unable to do so, because she did not have socks and was concerned that open sores on her feet would be prone to infection. However, her medical condition should have prevented her from having to remove her shoes in the first place, according to TSA standards, which say, “you are not required to remove your shoes if you have disabilities and medical conditions.” They do note that the shoes themselves have to undergo physical examination, though.
In addition, she notified the TSA agents that she was transporting medical cream to treat an infection and removed it from her luggage.
The TSA agents allowed her to sit down in order to X-ray her shoes, forcing her to hold her feet above the ground while they applied pressure to her body, including on her head. Albert wears a wig due to cancer-related hair loss and “didn't want them to touch it, move it, or ruin it.” She ended up whipping the wig off to allow the agents to examine her head.
A female TSA agent began patting her down. When Albert expressed her discomfort, they offered her a private room but refused to allow her to put her shoes on in order to walk there. When she asked why she was being subjected to additional screening, she was told it was because of the medical cream she was bringing with her.
The TSA agent attempted to feel Albert’s chest which she refused out of concern for her port and a recent lumpectomy. She is heard in the video telling the TSA that she has a port on her chest, which the agents insist still requires to be checked during the pat down.
At this point the video ends, but Albert explained on Facebook that she grew frustrated and “lifted up my shirt. Rather then [sic] have them touch my breasts and port ‘with pressure’ as the TSA agent stated. That's when they said they were calling law enforcement and I asked them to please do so.”
At that point, a supervisor allowed her to put her shoes on and go to a private room for a soft pat down.
While Albert applauded the supervisor for showing compassion along with a flight attendant who “made everything better for the night,” she told WABC. "I actually want those people fired because they didn't follow any protocol and I think it was really a game for them.”
As a result, Albert claims that she was contacted by the TSA who said they would refresh training at the Los Angeles airport on how to screen medical disabilities.