A mother and son with a genetic disease launched the robbery, she says

A South Carolina woman and her young son suffering from a genetic skin disorder threw a flight Thursday from American Airlines, she said on Facebook. She was on her way to visit her husband before deploying to the army, she said in a separate message on the website Love What Matters.

"Jackson and I have just been discriminated against … a great moment!" Wrote Jordan Flake on Facebook.

"We took our American Airlines flight where everyone smiled and talked to Jackson. Before taking off, a man (called flight attendant to handle the situation) came in my row and asked the 2 men sitting next to me to get up. He then asked me about "my rash" and if I had a letter from a doctor stating that I could fly, "she wrote.

She said she confided to an airline employee "that this was called Ichthyosis and that it was a genetic skin problem."

"I have never been so humiliated in my life!" She wrote.

Fox Carolina interviewed the airline about the incident between El Paso (Texas) and Dallas. American Airlines told the station, "Our goal at American Airlines is to create a welcoming environment for all our customers. We sincerely apologize to Ms. Flake and her son for the experience they had yesterday and our team opened an investigation into it. Our customer relations team has already talked to them directly and improved them on their flights, "said Fox Carolina.

Flake wrote about his experience on the website Love What Matters.

"Thursday was Rare Disease Day and I never felt more conscious and embarrassed about my skin or the illness I share with my son. After my departure and my arrival at the hotel, I had to go to the store. I felt like everyone was watching us because I now had that negative feeling about myself. I should never be ashamed of my way of being born, "she said.

On Facebook, Flake explained that the airline employee was helpful and made sure to get a hotel room, even though the employee could not get her checked baggage back in. plane.

"He helped me get my bags back and Jackson. He spoke to the pilot as we were leaving. The pilot seemed to agree, but the flight attendant said roughly (without even recognizing me) "She does not have a letter from a doctor, so …", wrote Flake on Facebook.

"My daughter is an adorable girl, a military woman and a wonderful mother … She was born with this disease and does not deserve this treatment," Flake's father Terry Lee Smith told Fox Carolina.

Ichthyosis "is a hereditary skin condition in which dead skin cells accumulate in a thick, dry layer on the surface of your skin," according to the Mayo Clinic.

There is no cure for the genetic disease, writes the Mayo Clinic. "The balance of ichthyosis vulgaris, sometimes called fish-scale disease or fish-skin disease, may be present at birth, but usually appears early in childhood" explains the clinic.