A man in Port Lucie, Florida undergoes dialysis treatment three days a week, with each appointment lasting three-and-a-half hours. Nelson Gibson's family isn't allowed to stay with him but patients are encouraged to bring things that make them feel at home.
At first, Gibson brought an 8x10 picture of President Trump to keep him company. No one said anything or complained about it. Down the road, his son, Eric, bought a mini cardboard cutout of Gibson holding the picture and standing next to the president. Again, no one said anything or complained. In fact, Gibson said people would take pictures of it.
Gibson stepped it up a notch with a life-size cardboard cutout of Trump and took it with him to dialysis. No one mentioned it or seemed to take any issue with it. A few days later he returned for his treatment and was told he could no longer bring the cutout with him.
"They told me it was too much and it wasn't a rally," Gibson told WPBF-TV
The family didn't say anything but decided to leave. Eric decided to contact the facility to figure out why his father was unable to bring the cardboard cutout with him.
"It was supposed to be an issue of safety infectious disease, which made no sense," the son recounted.
According to Nelson, other patients bring things with them to make them feel comfortable. One patient brings bubble wrap so she can individually pop each bubble while she undergoes treatment.
"I don't do anything like that," Gibson said. "I sit there quietly it sits near me and that's it."
Although it's possible for Gibson to receive treatment at home, Eric said his father would rather have a medical professional administer it versus a relative, CBS 42 reported.
The facility's spokesperson replied to WPBF-TV's request for comment, reiterating the safety concern.
"While we cannot discuss any specific individual, we strongly support the ability of all our patients to express their views, which includes bringing reasonably sized items into our dialysis centers that do not create safety or infection control issues, or interfere with caregivers on the treatment floor," said Brad Puffer, spokesperson for Fresenius Kidney Care.
