FL Man Refuses Dialysis Because Treatment Center Won’t Allow Giant Trump Cut-Out
JakeThomas
A Florida man who requires kidney dialysis three times a week is refusing to continue his treatments because the facility will not allow him to bring in his cardboard cut-out of President Donald Trump, according to The Washington Post.
Nelson Gibson, 59, initially brought an 8-by-10 inch photo of the president to his multi-hour treatment appointments, but then his son Photoshopped an image of Trump standing next to Gibson and turned it into a standing cardboard cut-out for his father to take along.
Until last Tuesday, Gibson’s pro-Trump paraphanalia — including his “shirt embroidered with Trump’s name and his custom shoes bearing the president’s face” — was no problem with staff at Fresenius Kidney Care in Port St. Lucie. But then the patient brought in a life-size cut-out of the president, and the center drew a hard line.
Gibson claims a social worker told him, “This is not a Trump rally.”
His family is currently fighting with the center to allow the giant cut-out, which they claim is Gibson’s emotional support while he undergoes the treatments because they are unable to be with him.
At the time of The Post’s report, Gibson had missed three appointments. While even one missed treatment brings serious risks, Gibson told the newspaper he intends to hold out and will simply go to the hospital if he runs into any trouble.
But it doesn’t appear that Fresenius Kidney Care plans to cave any time soon, either.
“We strongly support the ability of all our patients to express their views, including bringing personal items into our clinics that provide comfort,” Robert Kossmann, chief medical officer for Fresenius Medical Care North America, told The Post in a statement. “At the same time, we must maintain the safety and quality standards required within our clinics."
However, Kossmann said, items patients bring in “cannot impede staff’s line of sight and workflow or create ‘infection control issues’ and other hazards.”
He also expressed concern over Gibson’s decision to forego treatments until he gets his way, saying, “It is our number one priority to ensure all our patients receive the treatments they need and we are committed to supporting them to do so.”
But Gibson is holding strong. “He believes that God had placed Trump in his path to help him along this journey,” his son, Eric Gibson, said.
