Dialysis patient stranded in Charlotte after Southwest Airlines flight canceled

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - As WBTV continues to bring you the latest on the impacts of the nationwide Southwest Airlines cancellations, one woman’s visit to Charlotte is lasting longer than she expected, keeping her hundreds of miles from her doctors.

When Jan Bray traveled to Charlotte to see her daughter and grandkids for the holidays, she expected to fly back by Dec. 27. After her Southwest flight got canceled, she became worried about more than just a delayed return home.

“I don’t care about my luggage,” Bray said. “I don’t care if my luggage was in Chicago right now, I just want to go home. I love ‘em, but I just want to go home. My health, as of tomorrow, I’m out of medicine. And being this far away from your doctors, it’s scary.”

Bray has been on dialysis for the past year, treating a kidney disease that she’s had her whole life. Her daughter has been driving her every-other-day to a dialysis center in Indian Trail, but that only covers part of her treatment.

She said she takes nearly 30 pills per day to combat all the symptoms of her dialysis, and she’s running dangerously low on several of them.

“It’s not just about getting home, it’s about these…help me live,” she said. “The anxiety level has become crazy.”

Thankfully, Bray said her doctor was able to get an emergency order of medication that should get to her in time, but the mental strain of this situation has taken its toll.

Bray said she’s fortunate to be with family as she deals with her medical issues, but when she looks at the news, all she can think about is the other people that won’t be as fortunate as she is.

“How are they getting to dialysis? How are they getting their insulin? For God’s sake, this is horrible,” she said.

The Kentucky resident currently has a flight home scheduled for Saturday morning, but said the most frustrating part of the whole experience has been the lack of communication.

“Honestly, with me, I’ve always had good luck flying Southwest, but I’ll never fly Southwest again,” Bray said. “Never, ever.”

Related: Charlotte-Douglas travelers frustrated with thousands of canceled Southwest Airlines flights

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