A California nurse is claiming that she was discriminated against for her medical condition, after being forced off of a Southwest Airlines flight at Burbank Airport.
Brianna Solari has neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes non-cancerous tumors to grow on her nervous system and skin.
Solari said that she initially flew from her home in Sacramento to Los Angeles for a surgery on Wednesday to help reduce tumors on her body.
However, when she boarded the plane back home, she says that Southwest flight crew approached her and removed her.
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Solari says the incident made her feel humiliated, embarrassed and ashamed. “It was already difficult enough with this condition because I did have some visible tumors on my face and my arm and people would comment.”
“We are looking into it and plan to follow-up with both the employees and customers involved to learn more,” a spokesperson for Southwest said in a statement.
Still, Solari says that she will not be flying with the airline again.
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“I think this could have been handled much more professionally,” she said. “They should have waited until they had all of the information before making a decision”
