Los Angeles, Ca
‘It was humiliating’: Woman said she was removed from L.A. flight over medical condition
A woman said she was humiliated after trying to board a flight from Los Angeles but was prevented from doing so due to a rare skin condition.
Brianna Solari, a nurse from Sacramento, had flown to L.A. to undergo a specialized surgery for tumors caused by a genetic condition called neurofibromatosis.
The condition causes non-cancerous tumors to grow all over the skin and nervous system.
“I’m aware of how I look with all of these scabs on me,” Solari said of her appearance. “I know it’s unpleasant. I suffer from a genetic illness and I got surgery to improve my appearance and self-esteem.”
On her return flight home on Aug. 1, Solari headed to the Hollywood Burbank Airport and made sure to cover up with a facemask and headband. She had a ticket for a Southwest Airlines flight.
As Solari boarded the plane and sat down, she was suddenly approached by an airline crewmember who asked her to leave.
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Brianna Solari is seen in a personal photo. -
Brianna Solari is seen in a personal photo. -
The Hollywood Burbank Airport in Burbank California. (KTLA) -
A Southwest Airlines jetliner waits on a runway for departure from Denver International Airport Friday, Sept. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File) -
Brianna Solari is seen in a personal photo. -
View of the Hollywood Burbank Airport, formally the Bob Hope Airport on September 16, 2020 in Burbank, California. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
“He said there were some concerns about whether or not I had any kind of communicable disease,” Solari said. “He mentioned chickenpox specifically.”
She was taken back to the boarding gate where she explained about her rare medical condition.
“Essentially, I lack a protein which is a tumor suppressor and that causes tumors to grow under and on the skin, along nerves,” she said.
Solari told airline employees she had just received surgery and her condition was not contagious. She offered to show the discharge paperwork from the hospital. However, Solari said she was denied.
“He said, ‘No, we can’t see that,’ and then he got on the telephone with somebody I don’t know,” she recalled.
She was told she wouldn’t be allowed to reboard until she was examined by emergency medical services at the airport.
“They were on the phone with the physician who oversees EMS services that contract with the airport,” Solari said. When she asked to speak with that doctor, she was also denied.
Solari called her own doctor’s office and asked them to email a letter of medical clearance which she eventually received.
“I had to give my phone to the employees and they read the [clearance] letter to the [airport] physician,” she recalled. “Then they said, ‘Oh well, okay, she can go.’”
After the frustrating ordeal, Solari said she waited five hours to be placed on another flight.
“It was embarrassing,” she said. “It was humiliating. It’s absolutely shameful what they did. This is no way to treat somebody.”
According to federal regulations, passengers with a medical condition cannot be denied air travel unless their condition can be determined to pose a direct threat.
Southwest Airlines released a statement on the incident saying:
“We are disheartened to learn of the Customer’s experience flying with us and extend our deepest apologies for the inconvenience. Even though our Team ultimately received clearance for the Customer to travel, we weren’t able to do so in time for the flight’s departure. We rebooked her on a later flight, offered a travel voucher for a future flight along with a meal voucher, and we’re following up with her directly to discuss the situation.”
Solari hopes her story will serve as a learning lesson for better treatment of passengers with medical conditions.
Following the humiliating ordeal, she said she would never fly with Southwest Airlines again.
“Believe it when people say, ‘I had surgery,’” Solari said. “I shouldn’t have to discuss this with airline employees who are not medical professionals.”
A broken water main sent water gushing from an apartment building and turned nearby streets into rivers in West Hollywood early Thursday morning. The break was reported around 3 a.m. near Holloway Drive and Sunset Boulevard. “It’s a rupture of one of the significant mains that goes through here. West Hollywood, as it turns out, […]
After more than four decades, the remains of a woman who was found buried in the mountains of Riverside County were identified as a multi-millionaire who went missing in 1981.
The body of Thelma Gaston was discovered by a person gathering firewood in a mountainous area near Sugar Loaf Mountain and the Pinyon Crest community on Nov. 28, 1981.
After experiencing a series of heartbreaking life events, including the death of her husband and her 32-year-old son in the same year in 1957, Gaston continued forging ahead, focusing on her business of buying repossessed properties and selling them.
By 1980, she had amassed a fortune estimated to be over $20 million, SFGATE reported.
On June 28, 1981, a note was left on the front door of her home near Century City, saying she was out searching for her cat. However, she never returned home and her loved ones did not hear from her.
By then, Gaston was 80 years old. As Los Angeles Police Department detectives investigated her disappearance, they discovered a younger man, Lawrence Remsen, then 39, had recently entered her life and was the woman’s romantic companion, SFGATE reported.
At one point, the woman’s friends said Gaston had wondered about Remsen’s motives in being with her.
Police eventually found letters and documents reportedly signed by Gaston that gave Remsen power of attorney. Another letter allegedly written by the woman claimed she had run away “to have some fun in life.” However, her friends said the move was completely out of character.
Detectives later confirmed the letters were certified with a stolen notary stamp and her signatures were believed to be forged.
Remsen had tried selling some of Gaston’s properties and attempted to withdraw more than $100,000 from her bank accounts. Remsen eventually fled the Southern California area.
A few months later, he was arrested by border agents when he tried to enter the U.S. from Mexico. He was charged with Gaston’s murder even though the woman’s body had not been found.
During a trial hearing, Remsen later claimed he found the woman dead of natural causes in her home and, attempting to take her fortune, had disposed of her body in the ocean.
The judge disagreed and later ruled that Remsen had killed the woman “intentionally and with malice.” He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Gaston’s body was later discovered buried in a shallow grave in the mountains. However, due to the poor condition of the remains, investigators were unable to narrow down an identity.
A breakthrough occurred in 2022 when the Riverside County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau received new funding to reexamine long-standing unidentified cases.
“Combined with significant advances in forensic science, this funding opened new avenues for identification,” the sheriff’s office said.
In May 2026, utilizing investigative genetic genealogy and dental records, the remains were positively identified as Gaston’s.
“The Riverside Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau extends its sincere appreciation to everyone whose dedication, expertise, and perseverance made this identification possible,” officials said in a statement. “Together, these efforts have ensured that Ms. Gaston has her name—and her story—returned to her.”
Remsen, who is now 83 years old, continues serving his life sentence at the California Institution for Men in Chino.
Southern California remains under an extreme heat warning as residents brace for the hottest day of the week on Wednesday.
“It will be roasty toasty in the valleys, lower mountain elevations and far interior, with highs ranging from 100 to 110 degrees,” the National Weather Service said. The warmest conditions are expected in the western San Fernando Valley.
An extreme heat warning remains in effect for much of Southern California until 8 p.m. Thursday. Forecasters say there is a high risk of heat-related illness for anyone outdoors for extended periods. Heat advisories are also in place for areas along the coast.
“Highs for today: 98 in Ojai, 100 in Ontario. Temecula, good morning to you, 100 degrees expected there. 112 in Palm Springs. Unbelievably hot,” KTLA’s Kirk Hawkins said Wednesday morning.
Residents are urged to adjust their afternoon plans to limit strenuous outdoor activities during the heat of the day, stay hydrated and check in on elderly neighbors and loved ones.
The Weather Service said record highs are slightly warmer than those forecast for Wednesday. As a result, despite the extremely hot conditions, few, if any, temperature records are expected to be broken.
A few degrees of cooling are expected Thursday, but a more significant cooldown will arrive Friday as onshore winds increase.
Afternoon highs are expected to cool even more over the weekend, with below-average temperatures possible in some areas.
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