Woman’s Severe Illness on Flight Forces Cancellation and Public Apology

A TikToker has opened up about a nightmare travel experience so extreme it led to the cancellation of an entire flight and the involvement of a HAZMAT team.

Meghan Reinertsen, who works as a live-in nanny in Portugal, was returning to the United States for a movie premiere when her body betrayed her mid-journey. What began as a normal trip quickly spiraled into what she now calls the “worst travel day of my life.”

A Questionable Meal That Sparked Disaster

According to Meghan, the ordeal can be traced back to a meal the night before. She had eaten undercooked meat, which didn’t cause immediate problems during her Lisbon to Newark flight. But once she boarded her connection to Indianapolis, everything went downhill fast.

Within minutes of takeoff, Meghan said she felt a deep, unfamiliar cramp, followed by cold sweats and waves of pain so intense she compared them to contractions.

“I’ve never felt anything like it,” she recalled.

Trapped in the Tiny Airplane Bathroom

Rushing to the restroom, Meghan experienced relentless diarrhea and vomiting—so severe that she described it as “more than any human should have in a lifetime” in just 20 minutes.

Inside what she called a “2×2 shoebox broom closet” of an airplane lavatory, she cried out for help, requesting a barf bag as her body continued to purge violently from both ends. For the next hour and a half, she remained trapped, clutching the sink and walls for stability as the plane made its descent.

Even when the aircraft touched down, her sickness did not stop.

A Flight Cancelled and a Biohazard Declared

Once the passengers had disembarked, Meghan was informed that the next scheduled flight had been cancelled. At first, she assumed it was coincidence—until crew members told her to leave her soiled barf bag behind because a HAZMAT team had to disinfect the plane.

That’s when the reality sank in.

“They canceled the flight because of me,” she admitted. “They didn’t know if I had brought something contagious back from Portugal, so I was considered a biohazard. I was patient zero.”

The Ordeal Continued After Landing

Meghan somehow managed to get to her hotel, where she remained weak and exhausted. But her troubles weren’t over. During her stay, she admitted she “soiled the bed” in her sleep and had to confess the embarrassing mishap to the hotel staff at checkout.

To her relief, the receptionist responded kindly: “Not a problem. Happens more than you think.”

A Public Apology

Looking back, Meghan has since apologized publicly for the disruption her illness caused to hundreds of travelers.

“If that cancellation ruined your plans, I’m so sorry,” she said. “It was not without pain and suffering.”

In her words, the only silver lining was making it back to Atlanta, finally able to close the door on what she calls the “trip from hell.”