Nicholas Brown

The phrase represents how he felt about himself as he got out of the hospital, he said.

"I got out, and I saw my body totally messed up," he said.

On July 3, he and his girlfriend went to the ice cream stand without knowing Clinton was planning an appearance.

"I was just standing in line and turned around," he said. "She started talking to me."

Brown said he wants people to know he is not a white supremacist or racist. And though the Clinton campaign's photo caused some to misconstrue him, he said he still supports her.

In their brief meeting, he said he felt like he connected with her as a real person, not just a politician.

"Nobody really gives me a chance a day to talk, and she was willing to talk to me," he said. "She just feels like a down-to-earth person."