What a brave young girl! It takes some serious courage to do something as brave as donating over 14 inches of hair. People like this are what make this world a much better place. Though things might be a bit tricky for her at the moment, I am sure she will look back on this as a character building moment. We support her in every way!
When 10-year-old Jetta Fosberg decided to donate a large portion of her long hair to the “Wigs for Kids” foundation, the last thing she expected was to be made fun of at school.
According to Fosberg, various boys from her classroom started to single her out, saying that she was “ugly” and that she must want to be a boy.
The Wigs for Kids foundation is a nonprofit organization that takes donated hair from children all around the country and forms wigs for other children who are suffering from cancer. A common side effect of chemotherapy is the loss of hair, which can be a traumatic social experience while dealing with the life threatening illness.
Wigs for Kids founder Jeffery Paul states that the mission of the foundation is to make the process as easy as possible for the children. “Children shouldn’t have to worry about how they look, especially when they’re in the middle of a health crisis,” says Paul. “We want to give these kids the opportunity to feel good about themselves again.”
Fosberg initially donated 14 inches of hair to Wigs for Kids, but after it was cut she decided that she wished to go even further, leading to the harsh comments from classmates.
Forsberg told her mother about the bullying and a report was filed with the school. Jetta’s mother told WHIO that school officials told her there was nothing harmful about it and that she had to “toughen up and deal with it.”
A friend of the family started the Twitter hashtag “Stand With Jetta” to support the young girl with her teasing. A Facebook support page was also started for Jetta with the intention of giving her support through this trying time.
Jetta’s mother told WHIO that all she wants from the school and students involved is an apology or some form of remorse for their actions. School officials contacted the television station saying that they investigate all incident reports at their schools and that they will do a better job with focusing on their “value of month,” respect.
