Please Read. USAirways Discriminates Against a Crohn's Patient

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GutlessWonder86

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http://www.change.org/petitions/us-...ing-against-people-with-invisible-disabilties

I just read this and am so shocked and appalled that this poor woman was treated like this. We are protected by the American Disability Act and the airlines thinks they are above the law.

They need to be educated about IBD and attend a few of the CCFA educational and support group meetings to see what we go through on a daily basis.

I signed the petition. I hope everyone here does the same as well.
 
Why the f is she on a plane if she's so sick to begin with that she needs a bag with medication with her on a plane. I always stick up for people with crohn since I have it myself, but this is bullshit, why are you on a plane if you are sick. Petitions like these don't help anyone and certainly not people who have crohn.
 
Good grief kiny.

You don't have to be 'sick' as such to require medication and I can think of two very good reasons why you would want to take them on board. Firstly, a long flight means you may not be able to access your checked in baggage for quite some time and you therefore miss dosage times. If I were to fly from Sydney to London I would be on a plane for 24 hours. Secondly, correct me if I am wrong but is there not the potential for a thing called lost baggage to occur when flying.

My son flew 4 times when he was in fact quite ill because it was less stress on his system to be on a plane for 1 hour as opposed to 7 hours in a car or 9 hours on a train. And yes, we took his medication on the plane even though it was only a 1 hour flight.

Dusty.
 
Whenever I travel to FL to visit my MIL, I ALWAYS carry my meds and ostomy supplies in case my luggage gets lost I still have them.

One year I had a bowel obstruction while down there and there was a hurricane coming. I had them discharge me after 1 night observation and told them I had all of my doctors waiting for me back home. I then went to the Southwest Gate and got a special board pass as I was still very sick and weak from turning green. I had no problems. I boarded with the old ladies and families with small kids. I even managed to get the 1st seat near the bathroom. Turned out it was the last flight out as the rest of the flights were cancelled. Believe you me I was never so happy to be going home so I could get the necessary treatment as the care where I was really sucked.
 
Here's what I think...

1) A change of clothes can fit in a purse. I understand that she needed her clothing. Medicine? I doubt she needed medicine over the flight. If so, put it in a baggy. If you're worried about losing it, put a couple days worth. Throw baggy in purse.

2) Writing a letter to the pilot? Why? I'm pretty sure he had nothing to do with it. Everyone was just following protocol.

To me, it seems like this woman is just trying to take advantage of her disability/is being overly dramatic. Had they asked to search her stoma or fistula, or had refused her restroom privileges, I'd have thought it a clear breach of the disabilities act. However, it seems more likely to me that she just didn't want to check her bags, and wants all of us to get fired up in her defense.

"So I ended up with my purse and a US Airways plastic bag to carry around when I made my connection instead of a bag on wheels that would have been less painful."

Sounds like a princess.

"I traveled all the way from Los Angeles to Hartford with nothing to eat or drink in an effort to ensure that I would not have to move my bowels."

This doesn't even make sense. She didn't want to have an accident, so she purposefully neglected to eat/use the bathroom?

> I didn't want to pee my pants, so i didn't go pee at the restroom

Makes no sense. She just sounds like an angry ol' princess. I see no evidence of discrimination.

Signed anyways, because airlines suck.
 
This goes beyond just this ladies story, it matters not if anyone thinks she was genuine in her need or whether she was over reacting because it is a story of chronic and debilitating illness that is unseen to others, the indignity that often accompanies these illnesses and therefore the prejudices that exist.

There are many articles, stories, petitions etc I read that have issues contained within them that do not affect my children and I hope to god they never do, but I would like to think that the actions and lobbying of others and myself forges a clearer path in the future should they or anyone else ever have the need to use it.

Dusty. xxx
 
Signed.

I ALWAYS have my medication on me. Not just a little bit, all of it. Anyone who takes medications, especially lots of it, learns to always have it on them (or at least some) because you never know what can happen. Always be prepared.

Nothing this women did is odd in the slightest. Not being allowed to have her items on board is what I find odd and outright cruel. They could have easily asked another passenger to have their bag checked so someone with medication and supplies for their disability could have their bag on board. If I were asked I would allow my bag to be checked so someone who needed the spot more could have it. Not everyone has connecting flights so someone would be willing or they could place the bag in first class where there's always room.

This women isn't asking for anyone to be fired but for those who wronged her to be educated. Honestly they all should so it doesn't happen again. So it doesn't happen to you or me.

Why fly when you're so sick? Flying is the quickest means of travel and because we can't stay there anymore. We don't live there and can't afford to live there or maybe we're flying to find better care.

Why not eat or drink anything? To avoid accidents or stress. One of the most frightening things for people is to have to share a small public bathroom with a bunch of other people. People who need to use it, people who are always in it, people who pound on the door expecting you to get out in ten seconds, people who stare at you because you were in there for so long and so on. I've not eaten and not drank anything before on a plane so I could avoid using the bathroom as much. Its not out of the ordinary. Sometimes anti diarrhea meds simply don't work.

I didn't see anything in the article that merits judgement except for on the airlines part.

Edit: And so true about baggage being lost. Mine has been lost for five days before. Could you imagine not taking your medication for 5 days? Let's say you had been taking high doses of Prednisone for months and then suddenly go without. Can you imagine what that would do to you?

Also, sure you can place all that stuff into a purse. Suddenly that purse becomes very heavy and when you have severe arthritis you cannot carry heavy things like that. My arthritis isn't severe but when my purse is full its very heavy and hurts my back, shoulders and wrists a lot. If I were in this woman's place, I would demand my baggage as well.
 
Last edited:
Crabby said:
Signed.

I ALWAYS have my medication on me. Not just a little bit, all of it. Anyone who takes medications, especially lots of it, learns to always have it on them (or at least some) because you never know what can happen. Always be prepared.

Nothing this women did is odd in the slightest. Not being allowed to have her items on board is what I find odd and outright cruel. They could have easily asked another passenger to have their bag checked so someone with medication and supplies for their disability could have their bag on board. If I were asked I would allow my bag to be checked so someone who needed the spot more could have it. Not everyone has connecting flights so someone would be willing or they could place the bag in first class where there's always room.

This women isn't asking for anyone to be fired but for those who wronged her to be educated. Honestly they all should so it doesn't happen again. So it doesn't happen to you or me.

Why fly when you're so sick? Flying is the quickest means of travel and because we can't stay there anymore. We don't live there and can't afford to live there or maybe we're flying to find better care.

Why not eat or drink anything? To avoid accidents or stress. One of the most frightening things for people is to have to share a small public bathroom with a bunch of other people. People who need to use it, people who are always in it, people who pound on the door expecting you to get out in ten seconds, people who stare at you because you were in there for so long and so on. I've not eaten and not drank anything before on a plane so I could avoid using the bathroom as much. Its not out of the ordinary. Sometimes anti diarrhea meds simply don't work.

I didn't see anything in the article that merits judgement except for on the airlines part.

Edit: And so true about baggage being lost. Mine has been lost for five days before. Could you imagine not taking your medication for 5 days? Let's say you had been taking high doses of Prednisone for months and then suddenly go without. Can you imagine what that would do to you?

Also, sure you can place all that stuff into a purse. Suddenly that purse becomes very heavy and when you have severe arthritis you cannot carry heavy things like that. My arthritis isn't severe but when my purse is full its very heavy and hurts my back, shoulders and wrists a lot. If I were in this woman's place, I would demand my baggage as well.
Click to expand...

> odd and outright cruel

She was treated just like everyone else.

As a fellow Crohnie, I just can't feel any sympathy for her. Sorry.

I just don't feel as if her story merits a "boohoo, you have it rough"... It just sounds to me like she's being over dramatic, and trying to get us all on board because we have the same disease. In fact, while I was reading her story, all I could think of was those bratty moms who raise bratty pageant kids and put them on TV. A+ class white whine.


inb4 someone gets mad/calls me insensitive.
 
No one is going to attack you Farmer. Its your opinion and you're entitled to it. :)

The point is that you can't treat her like everyone else because of her disability. Yes there are many times when we want to be treated like everyone else but there are also times where we simply can't be because the reality of it is, we aren't like everyone else. We need our supplies and we need our meds, end of story. No one is going to take them away from my person and I'm sure she felt the same.

Whether or not she's being over dramatic is irrelevant to what happened. If anything all we need to do is be thankful that nothing bad happened where she needed those supplies asap and couldn't get to them.

I don't see it as a story about her whining, I see her sharing her own failure about being able to protect herself when she supposed to be protecting everyone else (the whole "how can you protect others when you can't even protect yourself?") and that hitting home pretty hard. Also this petition isn't just for those with Crohn's but for everyone to sign who think she was wronged.
 
> you can't treat her like everyone else because of her disability

absolutely. However, I fail to see why should would need a carry-on bag for meds, and a change of bottoms. It's not like she had an air-canister she needed to bring. It's not like they removed her ostomy attachments right off of her body. They took her bag, and offered her a solution for what she needed. However, being indignant, she would not accept this gross breach of her baggage rights, and decided to get the less-than-effective change.org to help her.

They didn't take her supplies, and say "no meds onboard"... They didn't say "we don't care if you poop your pants, we have no room for your panties"... They just didn't want her to check a bag. They gave her a baggy, asked her to put it in her purse. They accommodated her as best they could.

I really don't think she was wronged. Airline policies are strict: they're not going to make an exception because some lady didn't want to put her medicine in her purse.

To me, the story reads as some stubborn lady who wanted access to the magazines, laptop, etc that she had stored in her checking bag. I just fail to see how her situation was bad at all.
 
Long flights require you to carry your meds and a change of clothes. If its a large flight and have to check you bag at the last minute, it may not be on the plane and may not get to you days later. You need that stuff in your bag, that's why you packed it.

She reluctantly complied by putting her things in a purse which made her purse extremely difficult to carry due to her being in pain from the extreme arthritis. This and being humiliated was her main argument along with there being plenty of room on the plane for her bag when she was told there wasn't.
 
Yeah, that's a long shot of a main argument.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it wasn't a long flight.

Regardless, I don't see why putting pills in her bag was such a big issue. How full is her purse? How small is it? A good 5 days of pills should be able to fit into a sandwich baggy.

It just seems farfetched to me.
 
have you ever seen how big some of the pills we take are? Sometimes they have to fit in 2 bigger bottles.

I carry my medications AND shots in their original box in my carry on because that is what my MD told me to do if I travel to FL to visit family.

I know a change of clothes can't fit in my purse and neither can my ostomy supplies as well as all of my meds. That is why a carry on is needed. In case my luggage is lost or delayed.

If you go to the united ostomy of america's site, they will say the same thing. No matter how long your flight, ALWAYS put your supplies in a carry on in case your luggage is lost or delayed in getting to you.
 
Who knows, maybe 5 days isn't enough. When I lost my bag for 5 days there were other people who had also lost their bags and one didn't show until almost a month and that was in another country. Having to replace all that medicine is not easy when you're so far from home.

It was a 7-9 hour flight (LAX to Hartford I believe). Its a little long.

We'll never know what else she had in her purse. I know for my when I travel I bring my largest purse and I can fit my wallet, check book, change purse, keys, makeup (only some of it), DS, camera, medicine (all the bottles usually about 6), change of clothes, hand sanitizer, medical information and few other things I'm sure I'm forgetting. Man does it ever get heavy but they only allow so many carry on items.

Maybe she doesn't travel that much and didn't know that bringing a large bag was best but with 15 medications (many can't just be left out of the bottle due to moisture issues), ostomy supplies (honestly I don't even know what all that is but I bet it takes room) and a change of clothes on top of the things I listed above, that might all be too much to carry for someone like her.
 
yes, ostomy supplies take up a lot of room as they have to be in their original boxes along with the paste, powder, and whatever else is needed so make sure the appliance fits properly on the patient to avoid embarrassing leaks.
 
Well there you have it. I know that stuff would not fit in my purse with everything else. She should have had her things with her.
 
I don't really have much else to say, because I concluded my viewpoint in my last post. However, I will mention that she did not have ostomy supplies.

You say "things" as if it were more than medicine and clothing.
 
Sorry, I believe I saw someone else mention ostomy supplies above, she actually said "cleaning supplies" in her story. There's no mention what those cleaning supplies actually were. I said things as in the belongings she needed which apparently included her cleaning supplies.
 
100% agree with DustyKat! As an Aussie currently visiting the UK, I fully understand the challenges of a 24hr long haul flight. And I certainly agree that the the treatment experienced by the lady in the original post was appalling.
And I'm not at all happy with meds in the checked luggage.
My travel "solution" is to pack a set of necessary/likely-to-need meds in a zippered smallish cosmetics type bag in my handbag, then have 2 full duplicate sets, one in my carry-on, and one in my husband's carry-on. Both sets are in those small fold up light weight travel back packs, with a few extras like wipes/underwear, etc.
So in the heat of the moment at the boarding gate, if they are absolutely DETERMINED to check my cabin size case I just pullout the little backpack and take it with me. A bit obsessional, I know...


HD
 
I have flown 16 hour flights with Cimzia on ice packs, in my carry on, and never had a problem. To me, my a red flag goes up when she immediately cited the "Americans with Disability Act". If I am flustered, beside myself, and being wronged, the last thing I am going to say is that I am "covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act". Instead, I would say something along the lines of, "I have a disease which requires medications, may I please retrieve some of my belongings before you check my bag?" Oh wait, I'VE BEEN IN THIS SITUATION on domestic flights! Didn't have an issue. They gave me a "green tag" when being stopped on the jetway, gave me time to retrieve what I needed, which was packed neatly for worst case scenario, then let me pick up my baggage on the next jetway along with everyone else who had a "green tag". But I guess if you travel with a chip on your shoulder, they won't let you check that as BAGGAGE. (insert innuendo and sarcasm). This screams to me as a set up with a dramatic flair (or flare lol)
 
How insufferably inconsiderate and cruel!
I have flown several times since having my ostomy surgery and would never think of putting my med supplies under the plane! Hope we get lots of signatures!
 
ThanksP she mentions how she helps many other people get through similar situations with the airlines and such (says she does it for a living which almost implies lawyer or at least some sort of advocator of rights for the disabled), knowing this, she better know about the ADA. I'm sure she didn't bring it up until she thought she was being wronged in some way.
 
I agree with ThanksP.

It just screams princess.

And then the whole "discrimination"...

That's not a fair statement at all. You're not discriminated against if you're given exactly the same rights as other people. They didn't say "yah, you'll poop your pants, and we don't want our seats dirty. Don't get on the plane"
 
Crabby, thank you for proving my point. Had she not been hypersensitive and looking for a fight, she might have gotten exactly what she needed. Instead, she acted like a litigating, ambulance chaser and got exactly the treatment she deserved when acting in that role. I'm sure the petition is ammunition for a lawsuit :eye roll:

Do I need to say I won't be signing this? I think people like this make a bad name for those whom are ill and truly ARE mistreated. I would venture to say that the majority of us are NOT looking for a fight and do NOT want to be looked at as the next class action lawsuit. We just want to be treated with dignity.
 
The ADA supplies more rights than everyone else.

I did not say she had a chip on her shoulder ThanksP, only thing I said was that she knew her rights as a disabled individual. There's nothing wrong with that.
 
I absolutely know my "rights" under the ADA. But what I find odd is that the ordinary person in desperate need and pain would not first quote the ADA...unless they were looking for a fight. I've been there, done that many a time while flying to Middle Eastern countries (high security) and I never once needed to quote the ADA. Something stinks in this one sided recount, IMO.

Where where her "rights" under ADA denied?
I'd like to know the other side to this.
 
By the way, she makes her living as an attorney fighting for those who have had their rights "denied".

Ahem...did I say "Ambulance Chaser" previously?
 
I notified national CCFA in NY city about what happened and I got their response today so I'd just like to share this with everyone:

Dear Ms. :


Thank you for contacting the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America through your recent email regarding Jennifer Jaffe’s story on Change.org. This story is very disturbing to hear .


First, I want to thank you for your commitment to CCFA and for being an active volunteer in the Western New York Chapter. We appreciate your support and sharing Jennifer’s story.


We contacted the TSA to get clarification on the scanner policy. They provided the information below, also found on their website at http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/specialneeds/editorial_1370.shtm#3. Patients should opt out of use of the scanners and:

Advise the Security Officer if you are wearing orthopedic shoes, support appliances, or other exterior medical devices and where the devices are located.
If you are wearing an exterior medical device and are uncomfortable with going through the metal detector or be handwanded, you may request a pat-down inspection and visual inspection of your device instead.
You should be offered a private screening if clothing is required to be lifted to complete the inspection process.
Advise the Security Officer if you have an ostomy or urine bag. You will not be required to expose these devices for inspection.

The Airlines follow the guidance provided for under US Department of Transportation: Aviation Consumer Protection and Enforcement site, http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/publications/horizons.htm.

We have received numerous calls and inquires regarding the TSA and how the airlines respond and treat IBD patients. Therefore, we are adding information on this topic to our website. In addition we are currently working on developing resources for the IBD community to help them navigate both the airlines and TSA. In addition, we intend to provide resources to TSA and the airline industry information about Inflammatory Bowel Disease so they are better informed about needs and resources of individuals with IBD. We are currently developing these materials and intend to have them available before the end of the year.

I have copied our integrated media specialist on your request to have the link to Change.org posted on the CCFA website and other pages. You are encouraged to share this and other information on the CCFA Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/find-friends/browser/?ref=ler#!/ccfafb as well as on the CCFA community website: http://www.ccfacommunity.org/ . The Community website is a great way to connect to the online IBD community and inform them about advocacy issues and resources.

If, after reviewing the information included in the e-mail, you have further questions, please email CCFA or call our toll-free number at 1.888.MY.GUT.PAIN (1.888.694.8872), Monday through Friday 9am-5pm EST to speak with an information specialist.


Sincerely,

Laura D. Wingate

Senior Director, Field & National Programs
 
Well, I think if you present yourself as litigious, people react defensively. However, even lawyers deserve to bring their carry on bags on board.

FTR US Air is the worst airline I've ever flown on, and I avoid them like the plague. Last time I flew with them, my flight was listed as "through" - it stopped at ATL for 30 minutes, but I would not need to change planes. But they did schedule a change of planes - they just didn't tell anyone, announce it, or put it up on the board. I was the only person going to San Antonio, best I can tell, and the plane emptied out, and then started ti fill up with different people. Finally, I asked the stewardess about it, she said I had to get on another plane. I bit my tongue and ran so I wouldn't miss the plane.

On my return trip, they did not post the correct luggage carousel for my flight. I walked up and down the airport baggage area (it's huge), and couldn't find it. Finally exhausted by a day of traveling, I sat down and just looked around. Fortunately for me, my own suitcase caught my eye. It was locked in the US Air office as "unclaimed." It was midnight, and no one was there. Took me about an hour to get it, and they didn't even apologize for the inconvenience. :voodoo:
 
If you all pay the same fare, you all deserve the same treatment. I've been in line when stewards needed to put some carry on bags in with the checked bags. They stood there as we boarded the plane and asked people with larger carryon bags if it would be an inconvenience. If someone said yes, someone else in line, said "here, I can do without mine for a while" and everyone was happy. US Air just has terrible rude, insiderate service.

On the other hand, their pilots can land a plane on the Hudson River in NYC, so Can't complain about them. :lol:


http://www.usairways.com/en-US/traveltools/baggage/baggagepolicies.html
 
> If you all pay the same fare, you all deserve the same treatment.

Absolutely.

But that doesn't mean you deserve a checked bag just because.

But this woman got the same treatment as everyone else. (relatively speaking, I know there were lucky ones who got their carry-ons)

Besides, I'd never blame anything on airline people. They get as much radiation a year as radiation workers. And the oxygen messes with their heads. And they deal with terrible people.

What's the link for?
 
Miss Underestimated said:
Yes, an internet robot. A program. Look it up. :p You said you're not even a person.... :D


I'm being silly now.
Click to expand...

So sorry, I should have explained better. I come from a different part of the internet, so I speak differently... What i meant was...

When people take things personally on the internet it's silly because it isn't even in person. Sorry for the confusion LOL
 
I know - Like I said, I'm being silly now. I was twisting what you said - just for fun of course. ;)

And, on that, you are correct - I can turn it off.
 
Both sides probably could have handled the situation better. Going the "I'm disabled and I have rights under the ADA" route obviously annoyed the flight staff since they likely felt they were already trying to be reasonably accommodating (i.e. offering her a bag to take some additional items on board - which they didn't offer to those who didn't claim disability).

I'm sure seeing the empty overhead bin when she got on the plane is what really set her off. (Although, come on, expecting the pilot to read a 3 page handwritten complaint? Seriously?) I'd be super pissed too if I saw that empty bin. The flight staff could have checked again for space - or, if there really wasn't any space - asked if someone already on board would be willing to check their luggage as an act of kindness. However, they were probably so annoyed at the woman that they didn't bother. This is why you should never offend your service person (especially waiters).

Two sayings come to mind here:
To the woman - You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
To the flight staff - Do unto others as you would have done unto you.
 
scoutfinch said:
Both sides probably could have handled the situation better. Going the "I'm disabled and I have rights under the ADA" route obviously annoyed the flight staff since they likely felt they were already trying to be reasonably accommodating (i.e. offering her a bag to take some additional items on board - which they didn't offer to those who didn't claim disability).

I'm sure seeing the empty overhead bin when she got on the plane is what really set her off. (Although, come on, expecting the pilot to read a 3 page handwritten complaint? Seriously?) I'd be super pissed too if I saw that empty bin. The flight staff could have checked again for space - or, if there really wasn't any space - asked if someone already on board would be willing to check their luggage as an act of kindness. However, they were probably so annoyed at the woman that they didn't bother. This is why you should never offend your service person (especially waiters).

Two sayings come to mind here:
To the woman - You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
To the flight staff - Do unto others as you would have done unto you.
Click to expand...

I think I can explain why there was room when they said there wasn't....

Imagine you're a flight attendant... And you're helping a bunch of smelly, annoying tourists put their stuff away. You notice that the overheads are starting to get REALLY full. You don't go and check every single one, and you don't go and fill up every space. You tell the captain, who tells the people outside the gate, that you can't carry your stuff on. This avoids

a) People getting mad when they don't get their stuff in, but the person before them did.

b) spending 50 hours trying to fill up every space.

Honestly, I think if the captain had known, he would have let the lady have her stuff. But he didn't, and the gate attendants only do what they're told.
 

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