Of all the things I thought could possibly go wrong at the airport, THIS was not one of them! What a crazy day!!! Have you ever had a crazy airport story? Tell us all about it in the comments!!!
The Frey Life not really a crazy story but a sweet one. On my last flight back from make a wish the pilot gave a announcement that someone with a make a wish was on the plane and everyone clapped. Getting off the plane the flight attendant gave me her clip on wings!
I have a few crazy stories. The first one, I gate-checked a suitcase, but instead of giving it back to me at the gate like they were supposed to, they checked it, so I had to pick it up at the baggage claim. It wouldn't have been a problem, except that I had another flight out of that airport that I had to catch. I had a 4-hour layover, but I had to wait for my suitcase at the baggage claim, then wait in the check-in line for over an hour, then go through security again, then get to my gate. I made it to the gate with plenty of time to spare, but it was a huge pain. When I told her what happened, though, the lovely lady at the check-in counter offered to upgrade my seats at no charge, which was much appreciated. The second one was last summer. I was going through the security line, and when I handed the TSA agent my temp driver's license, they claimed that it wasn't a scannable photo ID, even though it is a photo ID, and it is scannable (they live in my state and get the exact same type of temp license, so they ought to have known better). I pulled out a couple other forms of ID that didn't have my picture on them (because I knew didn't need to have them - they even tried to tell me my birth certificate was a copy simply because it was issued by another state and the format was different, and I simply told them "no, it's not"), and eventually, after telling me they would have to swipe down all my stuff and give me a full pat down (something I'd managed to avoid until then) which made me almost miss my flight (the attendant at the gate got to the point of paging me; fortunately, security and all of the gates are within shouting distance, so the TSA people just told them I was at security), they let me through. Just about the worst airport experience of my life, which is really sad, because until that point, I had nothing except positive things to say about the TSA agents there - the nicest agents I'd ever met, and they don't treat you like you're a potential terrorist (though now my best friend is a TSA agent at the other airport I frequent, so that will make security a little less anxiety-inducing, knowing that, even if I don't see her, there is a friendly face in there somewhere). And then there was the time where I ended up intimidating the TSA agent at the security checkpoint at CDG - that was fun, especially because he was a big guy and I'm rather small. I know this could land me in more trouble in certain airports (so don't try this at home), but one of my bags got flagged for inspection, and I just glared at the agent the entire time he was going through my bag. He told me I was intimidating him, and it took all I had to not burst out laughing. I get really high anxiety in airports (more than literally any other place), and it kept me from getting nervous and breaking down, so I considered it a win.
The idea of a service dog having to get patted down is somehow so funny to me... Imagine being a TSA agent and seeing an exceptionally cute service dog in line. Gonna have to pet that pup very thoroughly, so sorry, unavoidable.. >:)
Ashke S. it's not always a service dog, sometimes there is a thing called a false positive and unfortunately for people with special needs like autism or specific medical needs, false positives are not uncommon, it's more common then you think. One time I flew to another country, I had the idea that if I told the agent about the back brace I had on they should be okay I let them know I had a back brace on and the agent still gave me a pat down, thankfully they gave me a female attendant for the pat down so I didn't have to be embarrassed but I would have been ok with a male with some uncommon medical needs. That is why some people with special needs are afraid to board planes since pat downs and special needs are common
To be honest, it is way too common for passengers with disabilities and health needs. I was flying home from a missions trip I went on and I let a random TSA agent know I had a backbrace due to scoliosis that got worse the year before and I had the brace on and I still got a patdown. That was the only time I got a patdown, I told the guys I did not want just a random person giving me a patdown, thankfully there was a female agent available who was willing to do it and it wasn't so bad, I told them the backbrace was a medical accommodation and they let me through.
Always hear TSA horror stories but honestly I’ve had very nice experience with them. There was one experience years ago when my daughter who has autism was stopped. My daughter was so scared and already crying. I tried consoling her but the TSA agent was rude with me telling me to keep walking. I firmly told her “my daughter has autism so she is very frightened cause she doesn’t understand what’s going on!” The agent quickly changed her tune, she was so sorry for scaring my daughter. I didn’t blame her cause this was a year after 9/11
I usually am allowed to walk through the metal detector instead of the tight machine that scans you... in Houston, they gave me a horrible time causing a meltdown. they said they would pat me down instead, which only made things worse. they had already sent my escort through and they wouldn't let her back to help me calm down. they had 5 TSA agents surrounding me (because i'm such a threat!). finally the supervisor came over and he was amazing. he knelt down (i'm very short) and told me everything was fine and I could walk through the metal detector... why it took so much to get it done I will never know! I was so scared that I would be stuck there and not able to go home because they were treating me like a criminal. I even had out the letter from my doctor saying I was autistic and they didn't care. I think the supervisor was the only one who knew what autism even was. my escort (who is a speech therapist and works with autistic children on a daily basis) was trying to help explain but they wouldn't listen to her at all. It was my worst experience EVER in an airport... and i've had other bad experiences... I made a video about the time my escort didn't speak english and tried to force me onto the wrong plane then left me in the middle of the airport because i told her no!
An Aspie's POV, Thanks for sharing some of your experiences. I'm so sorry those things happened. They never should have. I am very thankful that the one supervisor took notice right away, and helped you....but, still. It all could have been avoided, couldn't it!? Very sorry, it must have been so traumatic. It is hard to imagine anyone leaving someone in the middle of an airport, scared to death. Airports can be stressful enough without anything like those things happening, on top of it all! I appreciate you sharing these stories though. We all need to be aware that this is going on! We have to look out for each other, right!? :)
As a retired airline employee, trust me, it is better to check two bags to adhere to weight limits than one extremely heavy bag. That is if it were WAY over 50 lbs. People, as bad as it sounds, get pissed off and throw the bags when they are too heavy. They don't care what is in them. I am not saying all people do it, but I have seen it happen. I didn't handle luggage by the way, I worked on the engines and structure.
I actually saw a service dog relief area when flying home yesterday and it made me smile. If it’s the same airport I’m glad everyone was nice but I’m sorry you went through that.
So I also get tested for explosives everytime I go through the airport. I was traveled via airplane this previous summer to see a specialist and I had a suitcase full of my TPN and IV medication and enough supplies for two days incase my other medical suitcase got lost. They had to test every bag individually. And all my other supplies. One of the TSA people was a deacon at a church and he asked what was wrong with me, what my name was and what conditions I had and how to spell that (he wrote it all down) and he said he was going to get his church to pray for me. Even though I am not religious I appreciated that act of caring for someone who you just met. This also reminds me when in December my professor came to my hospital room and gave me my exam so I could finish the class. He was also a pastor so he also prayed for me with me for 5 minutes straight no joke. Because of my disabilities I can't go through the metal detector or scan so I always have to get a pat down
My husband does home hemodialysis with a "portable" machine called NxStage. The machine weighs about 100 pounds in it's metal airport case, he also takes along a suitcase of misc supplies, a box of IV saline bags, and a long metal IV pole. First time he flew, he brought printed information citing the specific laws/codes in relation to " life sustaining" medical equipt. At first they said it was too much equipt allowed, no. That it was too heavy, no. Tried to charge him, polite no. Tried to make him sign a waiver to not hold airline responsible if they damaged the machine, another no (machine is considered a rental, worth $30K). He also brings the IV pole thru security, it tends to get lost or damaged in checked baggage, it fits in the closet on the airplane. TSA raises eyebrows, he explains... no problems. Second time he flew, agent didn't know what was okay... politely asked for supervisor. No problems. Know the law, stand your ground, be polite and firm. It's worth the hassle and hiccups to have life experiences together :-)
It’s possible that what the supervisor meant by separating the medical equipment was too put medical equipment in both bags so all the heavy machines don’t go in the same bag. Also rite aid sells hand sanitizing wipes that might be easier for u to wipe ur seat with
Being in the security field my self i appreciate your comment on how sweet the security team was about everything. It's very sweet of you it means they are first and formost being professional , approachable, and representing their company well and doing their job with a good attitude.
I’m glad security was nice to you! I’ve always had super awful experiences where they try to force me to put my medical equipment through the machines, even when I assert that it will break my equipment that I literally need to stay alive, and they just keep arguing! The only time I had a positive experience was when the agent told me his wife has the same chronic illness as I do, and he was super nice and helpful.
I don't usually comment on any postings but you three are so stinking cute together. Your vlogs make my health issues always seem small and remind me to just keep going. Thank you!
Every time I’ve flown since becoming disabled, I’ve had WONDERFUL experiences with TSA! They must have a very soft spot in their hearts for people with disabilities. I’m able to stand and walk through the machine, and one time a TSA agent asked me *again* if I was sure I’d be okay walking through the X-ray machine. Very conscientious! I had friendly, courteous TSA agents at many airports. Thankful for the positive experiences I had! We chronically ill/disabled people have too many negative experiences.
savedbygrace, We cherish all the positive ones we can get, right?! I just went to a Radiology place yesterday, and it is a lovely building, in a lovely setting, and the place runs like a well oiled machine. The staff are SO kind, courteous and conscientious! I sat there in the waiting room, and I sat watching the staff. They all appeared as if they really liked their jobs! Unfortunately, that is often not the case! It was refreshing to see!
I agree. Last time I flew, with my father, he had a great experience. From curbside to plane he had great service (being transported in their wheel-chair.) He had his carry-ons and walker with him and was great. Me-not so great. I was struggling with heavy luggage (even though it was within weight limits) and couldn't keep up with the "pushers." My asthma kicked up super bad, so I was having a hard time walking at a rate other than slow. (I had some other issues as well.) However, almost every one was super polite and helpful--epecially with my father. Even when there was a problem with the herb scissors that I brought as a gift for a family member, they were polite. And, concluded that I was right! (They were measuring the length of the blades incorrectly.) After the fact, we realize that we made the mistake of trying to not check anything so that we streamlined (we thought) getting from the car to the plane and not having to wait later for the baggage. For an ordinary set of people, that would have been fine. But, we did not plan to allow my asthma to act up, never having had it happen like that, without my having a prior illness, like bronchitis. Also, we didn't think about my having to carry at a fast walk for a long distance, our heaviest baggage. Because were only going to be gone for less than 48 hours we actually had very few clothes. But, I was bringing a set of decorated glass plates (we didn't realize how heavy they were) and on the return trip, I had a couple reams of pre-printed paper program covers in my luggage. In hind sight, I would have checked the clothes and definitely the paper on the return trip. We both had lots of meds and my dad had several pieces of medical equipment that we didn't dare check. (My dad had his cpap broken when it was checked, years and years ago.) While it wasn't a great experience, it definitely wasn't a bad one. And again, we were treated politely by all but one person. (She was telling every one to move up in line--when there really wasn't any room--and she was equally unhappy with everyone, before and after us. She really needed a different job! Her co-workers were practically rolling their eyes about her.) The bad experience was my unexpected health issues and our poor planning. Next time, we will check almost everything, except for meds and medical equipment. If that can't be loaded onto a chair, then we get a cart or a sky cap for the bags. I will be extremely plain with any "assistants/wheelchair pushers" that I cannot go very fast, unless they want to be pushing me in a chair, too!
I just want to say to Mary that it is awesome how you just enjoy life, smile a ton, and are the sweetest person ever. Thank you for your inspiration! Love you guys❤️❤️
I have watched several of your videos. As a new “service Dog Owner “,I learned a lot about being a good “service Dog Team.” What I especially found useful was knowing why I should not let everyone come up and pet my “Service Dog.” Thank you for the information!
I'm a caregiver for a company that travels with disabled folks and in a group of 20-30 people, usually a minimum of 5 peeps test positive for C4 and need to be patted down. I've never been patted down my entire life before working here (I've flown a lot), but since I started flying with this company and our DD folks, I've been patted down every single time and I'm not even on any medications atm. It's truly a struggle and the most stressful part of any of our trips. I'm glad they were nice to you, we haven't had many good interactions with TSA agents. Including one cutting in front of a man in a wheelchair to get to the accessible stall in the bathroom, and then proceeding to chat on his phone on the toilet for almost 20 minutes. And there were no other accessible stalls or bathroom within a short distance in this airport... When my coworker tried to call him out on it, the TSA agent threatened him and said he could arrest them both, like??? Another TSA agent actually tried to grab a womans arm and pull her out of a wheelchair to force her to walk through the metal detector even though we were pleading over and over again she could not go through there, or walk on her own, because of a medical implant. Not to mention id we carry any medications with us in our carry ons, we get held up at security for literal hours so they can open every pill bottle, every lotions, dismantle every CPAP, literally tear apart EVERYTHING. It's ridiculous.
Loving seeing you three so happy. The sun shine over your head while you talked to the camera absolutely made my day brighter thank you so much guy's 💙
What I just love about this channel is they don’t lie, they tell the full story and their honest about it Unlike some channels when they think there life is so bad
Mind you that was the start of a long and hilarious travel day...I was in 3 different airports and had experiences in all 3.....tested positive for explosives in Orlando , had an asthma attack in Toronto with no access to my inhalers, then got to the 3rd airport only to find out that one of my suitcases wound up on a flight to Montreal and would be sent to me on the next flight then it got bumped because of lack of space
I remember a few months ago while going on vacation and going on an airplane for the first time since I was really little, I did a full body scan and the guy who was helping supervise and stuff just straight up out loud goes “SHES WEARING A PAD.” And he chuckled afterwards and smiled. I was so embarrassed like dude come on you see things like that everyday, thanks for announcing it to the world and thanks I didn’t know I was wearing one 🙄 glad you found it amusing.
Hope you guys enjoy Cincy! We live nearby and love spending time there. My don't-miss-this advice would be to see the Newport Aquarium on a weekday and be sure to get a backstage tour. Have fun!
I am so glad you had such a good experience with the TSA people!! I just flew last month with a broken ankle and i was so nervous about going through security with this huge thing on my leg but they were so nice about it and had me go through and sit down then they took my air cast through the X-ray machine. It was so nice to be treated with such caring hearts. My experience in the past with security has not been so great so i am glad they were so good to you and understanding!! Have fun on your trip!!! Can’t wait to see what you guys do this week!!
Gonzorizzo what’s the difference though between it being in one bag or two? It’s all going on the same plane in the same spot. I don’t think a 50lbs bag is going to bring a plane down when there are probably many overweight people flying on top of everyone’s luggage.
Lola Roberts Nah baggage handlers work very hard in dangerous conditions, but if you're handling bags quickly and one shows up that's way heavier than expected it can easily cause injury.
Welcome to Cincinnati!! Thank you for sharing your experiences and travels through your videos - hope you both have a nice trip and have a chance to experience the attractions of the city!! :)
Hope all 3 of you have an amazing holiday!!!!I just thought how beautiful of you mary ,to think of ollie and his ears,that giving him a chew would help him!!!!💖💖💖💖
I have 6 doctors lung,back,family,nero,heart,&bone doctors but I don't let none of my health problems get me down I cried the first time I watched this love you guys Mary I watched where the feeding tube came out I cried with you i have a big soft heart I will pray for y'all
Wow! Peter and Mary in Cincinnati. I think that so neat! I'm so excited for this adventure for you guys. I hope you eat some Skyline chilli. Definitely Krispy Cream Donuts. I think Ollie would like White Castle burgers. NOT
Lynn Amidon I don't think this boarding hassel happened in Ohio....they arrived in Ohio, right? And, the music is very old jersey...Ohio is rock n roll...lol peace🦋🐝
Lynn Amidon Mary I am in Columbus OH. I am 30 have a chronic illness I'll shoot u an email with specifics I too have a God sent husband. I'm also 6 wks pregnant with first child. It would be awesome to meet and pray bless u sweetie
Mary, Peter and Ollie my brother is one of the lead mechanics the the airline that you just took your flight on and they take the passengers safety into account everyone a plane cones in and if there is something that is not making the plane 100% for flight it is grounded. So know that they take pride in keeping you safe. Can't wait to see what Adventures you all go on have fun and be safe.
It was super nice to meet you guys yesterday! I support you so much and thank you again for the merchandise!!!! I love it so much I might buy more, come visit again when you fly back in!!!☺️
I love Mary. I get yelled at for having a belt on and for the rest of the trip I'm in disgust. Mary gets hassled with everything she has and she finds something nice to say. Girl you're amazing.
I am so excited about my phone case!! I LOVE IT and it’ even has Mary’s signature. I love you guys. You are the first channel I have ever subscribed to and diligently watched. You are inspiring and bring joy to me every single day😊😊😊
Oh yea....as soon as you said you were in Cincinnati and knew EXACTLY where you guys are going!! Same place our family is planning a trip to in late May! We are close to Cleveland, so thankfully, we don't have to fly. Enjoy yourselves..and God Bless.
Actually not a very rare happening. the test for things like explosives are just quickly and not extremely accurate testes for certain chemicals and organics that are in some very mundane things especially in a great many things associate with medical equipment and medications themselves. My daughters IV's set off the tests every time and since I handle the bags and I often do too. Many of the filters that are used on feeding tube systems have organics that are ones the TSA tests. for. Other things, like some of her drugs, even oral medications, have certain things in them that set off the testes too so we usually get stopped coming and going and why we usually drive on most trips now ;) As for weight.. as IV fluid are heavy the first time we traveled I spoke to the airlines about it ahead of time and they actually has a 'medical' support person to talk to. The first thing that they did was recommend that we distribute equipment across multiple suitcases because even though we can take all the equipment we need the weight restriction is there for how they balance the airplane in the luggage compartment. If it weighs too much and will cause weight distribution issues for the aircraft its a problem and not going no matter what you do, so distribute the weight in multiple cases. They asked us how many extras we would have to carry, waived the fee and sent us tags that said "Medical equipment". I know it sounds like the more you can stuff in and use less suitcases the better and that might be true for clothing but weight can be an issue for a plane and something to really consider. They actually have a totally legit reason for putting weight limits on bags. As it is to take an overweight bag they have to jump through a bunch of hoops sort out what bags have to be put elsewhere to accommodate an overweight bag - no matter how important what is in it is they can and actually should deny a person with an overweight bag from bringing it on the plane. They understand that people with medical issues often travel with lots of equipment and have no problem with it as long as the weight is distributed so no suitcase is overweight. They also suggested that we see about getting anything medical we could at our destination and actually that was a great suggestion as i never thought to talk to our home health care providers who actually did 2 things. One was pack up our weekly supplies and shipped them to our hotel so they were there when we got there and 2 made arrangements with a home health provider at our destination to provide the consumable products that needed to be on ice for us when we arrived at the hotel. We did not have to carry as many bags of fluid and did not have to worry about icing them on our trip. They were also helpful with a whole lot of information on the current things were using and whether to even use them at certain altitudes etc, for example we did not know that her feeding has to be handled different at higher altitudes. It was also really nice to have a local home health contact on our vacation.
Pam Duncan, VERY good tip about sending stuff prior to departure, and utilizing a home health provider. I don't know why I didn't mention that on yesterdays Travel Tips VLOG (I'm an RN, and should have thought of mentioning it). SO glad you did! :)
Always, let your airline know ahead of time regarding medical equipment and service dogs...and fly a highly rated airline....it's worth the time, the hassel, and well worth paying more, as with everything, you get what you pay for.....enjoy....the trip.
I have severe dyspraxia and I usually have a lot of trouble with security and airports in general. It’s hard for me to cope when they get me to take my shoes off, or touch my items, or have to pat me down. I have sensitivity issues and issues with noise. Security is unfortunately never a pleasant experience with me as dyspraxia is known as a “hidden disability” meaning people who work in security at airports just never understand what I have to go through. I’ve always been unfairly treated at security :’( security people are just so horrible. I’m glad your time at the airport was a positive experience though!! It always helps when you have a good stress-free experience!! Hope you guys had a great trip!!💜💜💜
So the surgical mask might not be the best option for you, I know you've used a different mask before (one of those reusable ones) when in such public places like hospitals and airports to minimize the risk of infections and such. The surgical mask however is made to prevent the person wearing it from spreading their bacteria and not the other way around. Like when doing surgery the doctor wouldn't wanna risk the bacteria from their breath/saliva to infect their, perhaps opened up, patient. So it's not really for the wearers protection. It doesn't hurt obviously, but just thought you might wanna know that for next time! :)
Hi Mary and Peter (and Ollie!) I have been subscribed to your vlog for a while now. Actually I found it because I was looking to learn more about CF. Sometimes I get called to do some strange work (acting) as simulated patient for medical students at university - and I had a day I needed to act as a CF patient. That is how I came across your vlogs. There is so much light and love in your relationship, it makes me so happy for you both and all the viewers. What a great idea to make these vlogs and have your online store. I totally support you with my heart and prayers. Lots of love from Brisbane, Australia. Aushra.
I used to test positive every time I went through tsa every time when I was on elecare. One time they made me throw away an opened can and I was devastated! It was $40 a can and I did not have insurance coverage for it all. Afterwards, I got a letter from my doctor and waited to open cans until after tsa.
I have a cervical disc replacement and rods and screws in my lumbar and, even though they're not supposed to set off alarms at airports, they often do 😲 so I have the whole patting down scenario... I usually say I HAVE IMPLANTS IN MY SPINE, WAAH! and they go Oh it's Ok, we know, we saw on the scanner... 🤤 Ya gotta laugh! 🤣 Glad you got there safely, have a lovely trip! X
Landed there last summer and had an awesome time at the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter. We stayed at Newport on the Levee, KY right along the water and so enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere there! Traveling Graces on the rest of your travels!
Have a nice flight they always make it difficult for handicap it's nice to see in Channel again I had to get a new phone so it's been a while we're coming into the holidays again love you guys and thank you for the videos I really appreciate it God bless you both
I’ve only flown once, and it went pretty smoothly (I’m in a wheelchair, so it’s a little more complicated than the average person). And everyone, from the check in person to the TSA agents was super nice! Ok, edit: you’re in Cincinnati! That’s where I live! Wish I could meet you two (sorry, three! Can’t forget Ollie) You guys are the best!
