A cancer survivor with a disfigured face claims that he was told to leave a convenience store because he was scaring away customers.
Kirby Evans had his left eye and nose removed after suffering from skin cancer seven years ago. The operation saved his life but left him facing discrimination.
On Wednesday Mr Evans stopped at Forks Pit Stop in Walterboro, South Carolina. He bought a drink and doughnuts and went to sit down.
But, according to Mr Evans, not before the manager 'jerked' him into her office and told him to either cover his face or leave because he was scaring away customers.
Advert
The 65-year-old told ABC4News: "The words that came out of her mouth hurt me so deep."
According to Mr Evans, he left the store in tears and told his daughter who subsequently took to social media.
His daughter said: "On 10/8/2018 my father (Kirby Evans) went into the gas station called the Forks Pit Stop... to buy something to eat.
"[He] went and sit down at one of the tables but, before he could get seated at a table, the owner grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him into her office. She told him "IF HE WAS GOING TO EAT IN HERE HE WOULD HAVE TO COVER HIS FACE!!"
"He left and went home in tears to tell me what happened. My father is a cancer survivor he lost his left eye and nose to this awful cancer. My father was discriminated against because of the way he looks.
Advert
"He cannot help what the cancer did to him. My father is the strongest man I know but, as he told me what happened to him, I watched tears roll out of his eye. It hurt me to see him hurt like this, especially over something he cannot help.
"My father is also on a fixed income and can not afford the surgeries it would to take to fix his where his nose was."
She told people not to judge a book by its cover and, addressing the manager, assured her that Mr Evans would never go into the store again.
Advert
A woman identifying herself as the manager of Forks Pit Stop responded to the Facebook post saying: "All I asked him in my office was if he could cover his face when he came in to eat I would appreciate it.
"I do not see absolutely anything wrong with what I did.
"I have bills to pay and I work very hard to please my customers and I would never ever want to hurt anyone's feelings but it was the kindest way I knew to come across to him.
Advert
"It is not my fault that happened to him! That should not be held against me! When you are a business owner you have to do things that are not at all pleasing but I had no choice! It was running my customers off".
Mr Evans' daughter has also set up a GoFundMe page for her dad which has reached $57,000 (£43,300). This has been reached by 1,900 people in just two days.
Featured Image Credit: ABC4News