FLA. MAN UPSET HE CAN’T BRING CUTOUT OF TRUMP TO DIALYSIS

PORT ST. LUCIE, FLA.» A Florida man undergoing kidney dialysis three times a week is upset that he can’t bring a life-size cardboard cutout of President Donald Trump for emotional support.

Nelson Gibson said his family can’t sit with him during his 3½-hour treatments. To help, he began bringing a picture of Trump as a comfort item.

“It just feels like bringing something from home to make you comfortable,” Gibson said.

Gibson said no one complained about the photo. Next, he started bringing a small cardboard cutout of himself standing next to a Trump photo. No one complained about the small cutout, and Gibson told a TV station that some people even took photos with it.

On Saturday, Gibson took a lifesized cutout of Trump to his treatment at Fresenius Kidney Care. He said that, again, no one took issue with this new emotional support item.

But when he returned Tuesday for treatment with the presidential cutout, Gibson ran into a roadblock.

“They told me it was too much and it wasn’t a rally,” he told the TV station.

His son Eric contacted officials at the facility to find out what the problem was.

“It was supposed to be an issue of safety infectious disease, which made no sense,” Eric Gibson said.

The Gibsons say they feel singled out because the center typically encourages patients to bring emotional support items.

Nelson Gibson said another patient brings in bubble wrap and pops it during her treatment, which he finds nerve-wracking.

“What I would really like to happen is for them not to infringe upon my father’s freedom of expression and speech and allow him to bring in the life-size cardboard cutout that takes up less service area than a garbage can,” Eric Gibson told the station.

The family said it isn’t sure when Nelson Gibson will return for treatment.