Media personality battling breast cancer posts 'humiliating' TSA search on Facebook

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Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Media personality battling breast cancer posts 'humiliating' TSA search
Media personality battling breast cancer posts 'humiliating' TSA searchJoe Torres has the story.

NEW YORK -- A New York woman battling breast cancer says that what happened to her during a TSA search while traveling should never happen to anyone.

Denise Albert says she has never felt so violated.

"It's a feeling that I just never expect to ever experience," Albert said.

The mother of two, who has been quite public about her battle with breast cancer, posted that humiliating experience on Facebook. For the past three years, she's been the host of show called "The MOMS with Denise and Melissa" on radio and TV.

She says Sunday night at LAX, TSA agents aggressively tried to do a body cavity search - in public.

This all happened after she informed them of the metal port on her chest and the medical cream in her bag.

"Her hands were shoving up me, and she went around me and down my pants in the back. And then when she tried to put her hands in my shirt is when I said, 'enough,'" Albert said.

Albert complied with the agents request to take off her shoes, but she didn't want to put her bare feet on the floor because of open sores and rashes from her cancer treatment.

"After having looked at the TSA website, they were not allowed to ask me to take my shoes off because I had a medical condition that I told them about," Albert said.

At one point, out of sheer frustration, she took off her wig, a move she rarely does in public.

Albert says the whole ordeal could have been handled so much better.

"I actually want those people fired because they didn't follow any protocol and I think it was really a game for them," Albert said.

The 42-year-old has filed a formal complaint with the TSA. The agency informed her the matter will be investigated by supervisors at LAX.

The TSA released a statement Monday night saying, "The Transportation Security Administration takes reports of alleged impropriety very seriously. TSA is currently looking into the specific details as to what occurred during the screening process to ensure our security protocols were followed. We regret any discomfort the security screening process may have caused the passenger. We will work with the passenger directly to address her concerns."

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