Jumping through hoops
Back in the early 1960’s I planned a trip to Scotland with Pan Am and, at the time, alerted them that I was using a pressure breathing unit for my lung condition. Pan Am assured me that there would be no problem.
It was a holiday weekend and my room mate, before he left, drove me to the local heliport in Oakland from where I was taken to San Francisco. Everyone appeared to be in a rush but I was calm in the thought that I had plenty of time and my reservations had been reconfirmed
When I approached the Pan Am counter I was asked, “What is this?” I explained that it was my breathing unit (by the way the sucker weighed 15 lbs) and that I had cleared this when I made my reservations. The clerk told me that it would be necessary to check with their medical department. Well, you guessed; I was not allowed to board and was advised that I needed a doctor’s certificate that I could withstand a pressure of 5,000 feet, the level at which planes are pressurized.
There was no alternative but to trundle back via helicopter and, since my room mate was not available, get a taxi back home. Hastily, I called my family back in Scotland that I would not be arriving as scheduled and had to further explain about the unit. No, I had not told them of my health situation . Next, I called my doctor; only to be told that he had gone on vacation. Another doctor in his practice said that he would give me a verbal authorization but I explained that a written one was needed. He refused. It was a no-go. Finally the receptionist told me that my doctor was still in town and gave me his telephone number.
To be continued.