This Cancer Patient Was Not Allowed To Wear A Blue Wig By The School Authorities

Sep 25, 2018 by apost team

Cancer is a horrible thing to have to deal with, especially for a child. Dealing with brain cancer at the age of 17 was quite traumatizing for Kate Pepper. Her high school made it all the more traumatizing. Some school districts try to enforce archaic dress codes on their students to make them conform to decency standards instead of focusing on giving them the best environment for learning possible.

She had been going through anaplastic astrocytoma for about a year. After being diagnosed in 2014, she made it through that but about two months ago the brain cancer returned. She had been feeling bad but didn't know that the brain cancer was back. That's what she told NBCDFW.com.

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Unfortunately, she had to go through chemotherapy and radiation before school started up again. This caused her to lose her hair. She then found a wig that made her feel excited and awesome to wear.

The school district didn't think so though. They didn't have compassion for her and didn't go out of their way in support. Instead, they made everything more difficult for her to deal with by telling her that the wig violated the district's dress code.

They thought that because the wig was a non-natural hair color, it was disruptive to other students. Having cancer and losing hair was probably more disruptive in Kate's eyes. She is quoted with saying that she just wanted to cry. After that, her parents decided to write a letter to the principal to ask them to reconsider the rules. They refused and said that she was not able to wear a wig with turquoise in it. A staff member at the school even gave her $65 to buy a new wig but she didn't take it.

She said it wasn't about the money but instead about the principle of letting her wear the wig. She fights for her life everyday, why also fight about this? She and her parents didn't think that the rules made very much sense. The district is quoted with saying that their heart goes out to the family but they are remaining consistent with what is in the student handbook, that they provided funds to try and help her get a wig that meets dress code and would continue to try and resolve the matter with the student.

They decided to change their minds after Pepper went on social media about what happened. Texas' Lt. Governor caught wind of everything going on and was able to make an exception for her, according to CNN. He tweeted that he supports the rules but asked McKinney ISD to make an exception for Kate. Check out the video here:

What do you think about the story? Do you think the wig distracts or do you think the exception is justified? Pass this on to your friends and loved ones to raise awareness for cancer patients.