Instead of sightseeing on a ferry, 7-year-old Giovanni, his mom, Christina Fabian, and dad, George Alvarado should have already boarded a flight.

“We were on Flight 171,” said Fabian.

But the trip from Bellingham back home to Phoenix was interrupted by Giovanni’s allergic reaction. “He began to get very itchy and he was scratching all over. He started to get hives, so we informed the flight attendant who informed us that there’s dogs on every flight and just smirked, which minimized his experience for me,” said Fabian.

The allergic reaction delayed take off, and soon the family was told they’d have to deboard. “We understood. They helped us off the plane, but as we gathered our stuff the people toward the back of the plane clapped,” said Fabian. Giovanni’s feelings were crushed by the clapping.

“People who don’t have sadness, they don’t understand,” he said.

What passengers on the flight didn’t know is the trip to Bellingham was on a bucket list. It was a chance to visit family for a very important reason. “My dad is sick with stage four throat cancer,” said Giovanni.

Alvarado’s cancer is terminal and with time running out, the trip was supposed to be a special one. “To make memories, and I am sad that this has to be a memory with my dad,” said Giovanni. “As a dad I was just hopeless right there. I just looked at the people clapping. I was just shaking my head, I was like man lets get out of here,” said Alvarado.

As the family waits for the next flight, they try to turn something terrible into a teaching moment. “You don’t know how much time people have or why they are hurting. Just be nice. Be kind,” said Alvarado. A cancer patient’s call for courtesy is the message he leaves behind as the family prepares to head home.

The airline, Allegiant, is in direct contact with the family and has offered their apologies for the negative experience and the inconvenience.