A South Carolina mother and her 1 year old son, Jackson, were boarding an American Airlines flight from El Paso to Dallas on Thursday. They were shocked when on “Rare Disease Day” a crew member asked her if she had a doctor's note for what appeared to be a rash on her and her son's skin. The first crew member was said to be friendly and tried to help them. However, that didn’t stop other members of the flight crew who wanted her off the plane, which resulted in her being escorted out. She told the airline crew that she and her son have a rare genetic condition known as ichthyosis. This causes dry, scaly and sometimes thickened skin. Flake was traveling to Dallas to visit her husband, who was on a four day pass from the military. American Airlines publicly reached out and apologized to the family, stating that they upgraded their flights immediately. The incident also provided a valuable lesson about empathy for those living with medical conditions beyond their control.
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This incident reminds me of an event that happened in 1986. This was another example of discrimination because of a skin disorder. Many people that were born with skin conditions like vitiligo, which is a skin disorder that causes major discoloration all of the skin. In 1986, people were not being accepted for certain jobs if their skin looked different. This discrimination is something that could so easily not be a problem. Hopefully people learn from this story and this issue resolves.
That's crazy that they aren't allowed that do certain things because of something they cant control. If its not contagious or harmful then there shouldnt be a problem
ReplyDeleteI agree with Keyanna; if it isn't contagious and they can't control it, then why punish them for it? Events like this happen because of ignorance, and while it isn't fair to assume that everybody should know about every disease or medical condition, our first reaction to the unknown shouldn't be fear.
ReplyDeleteI understand initial fear at seeing an unusual skin condition in an enclosed area such as a plane, however this fear of the unknown should not limit someone’s respect and ability to do things that any other human is able to do.
ReplyDelete-Isadora Lilly
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