Shirt with the owl on it that set off scanner
The mother of a St. Jude's Children's Hospital patient who was slammed to the floor at the Memphis Airport said it was a shirt with an owl on it that set off the scanner.
Shirley Cohen of Chattanooga wrote a letter to Chattanoogan.com columnist Roy Exum, who wrote a column decrying the incident.
Ms. Cohen is suing the Memphis Airport and the Transportation Security Administration over the incident that was featured on the national news.
Ms. Cohen said, "Sir, I would like to thank you for your words of wisdom in this incident.
Your courage to speak out has brought back my faith in humanity. I have cared for this child through all of her illnesses. I assure you NOBODY knows her better than I. I also was appalled by the audacity for such a pompous statement to be made that all of this is 'alleged.' This is like saying 'I know a cobra has venom that will kill me, but I just want it to bite me to see how bad it hurts.'
"Furthermore, the statement about we should have called ahead for accommodations perplexed me. Why? We have made that trip for 17 years. Hannah did not go to Orange Grove but she was at The Signal Center from two years old to kindergarten.
"She has overcome more obstacles in her lifetime that would make a room full of adults crumble in the dirt. She was left with facial disfigurement due to nerve damage. She has endured many stares and whispers throughout her entire life - some innocently and some with cruelty intended.
"What showed up on the body scanner was merely a shirt that had a big Owl on the front that was made out of sequins. Not a hidden weapon, a gun or a bomb. Simply an adornment on a shirt. She was wearing an undershirt beneath it and was even willing to take it off.
"But the first lady just laughed at her. That in my eyes is an adult form of bullying. I told at least four people her history but all they wanted to do was gang up on her. An 18-year-old girl with low self-esteem, difficulty with articulation of speech, facial disfigurement, the list goes on and on about what I tried to tell them. All my explanations fell on deaf ears.
"When one of them grabbed her, her fight or flight kicked in. I have never felt so helpless in my life. Yes, she lashed out. But all she hurt was someone's ego.
"Again, your words have sparked me to keep going. If they weasel their way out of this 'travesty' we as Americans might as well fall to our knees, lay down and cover our heads with our Star Spangled Banner.
"The moment I was told she had a brain tumor at the the ER at T.C. Thompson's when she was two years old, I felt as if someone literally pulled a rug out from under my feet. I fell to my knees and prayed, "God please don't take my baby."
"When she was there on the floor with blood and tears streaming down her face, I felt the same way. If I had fallen on the floor, they probably would have pulled out their gun and shot me.
"But no, even though she was begging, 'Momma help me,' I kept my wits about me. As hard as it was, I pulled out my phone and snapped those pictures. Hannah asked me 'Momma why are you taking pictures of me?' I instantly thought....
" 'Take a picture. It's worth a thousand words.' (Tess Flanders, 1911)."
Sarah Cohen decided to take pictures of bloodied daughter - a St. Jude's patient from Chattanooga