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Denise Albert and her business partner, Melissa Gerstein, travel together frequently to host Mamarazzi events bringing together mothers and bloggers. Most recently, they were in Los Angeles, California, helping promote the new film, Sing.
On the duo’s way back home to New York, however, they encountered trouble at the LAX. TSA refused to let Albert fly unless she underwent a full body cavity search, all because she had to travel with TSA-exceptions because she has breast cancer.
Last December, Albert was diagnosed with breast cancer. She wears a wig, has a medical port on her, and has to carry medical cream around with her.
She announced all of this to TSA after she’d already passed the prescreening, but rather than nod and wave her through as TSA agents at other airports had done in the past, these agents “aggressively attempted to do a body cavity search in public.”
Things only went downhill from there.
Although Albert was TSE precheck, the agents insisted she take her shoes off to put them through the X-ray. She agreed, but said that she didn’t have socks on, and taking her shoes would render her immobile because her feet were covered with sores from treatment and she wasn’t able or allowed to walk on them.
Once Albert was safely seated, the agents pressed further, asking her to remove her wig so they could complete a more thorough search of her body. Albeit reluctant, Albert agreed.
It was only when the agents insisted they do a full body search, including searching her chest – where she had a medical port – that Albert demanded to know why this was all necessary. Little explanation was provided, which left Albert little choice but to endure having agents put their hands down her pants, up her crotch, and down her shirt.
Albert continued to make such a fuss out of everything that the agents finally called over their supervisor. Then, Albert explained the entire situation over again, and although this agent was kind enough to remove Albert so the shameful search could take place in private – not public – it was still past protocol.
Since then, Albert has contacted LAX about their inappropriately trained TSA agents. The airport has responded, saying they will further investigate the matter and better train their present and current agents to keep this from happening again in the future.
You can read Albert’s personal account here:
