The mother
of a terminally ill 11-year-old with alopecia said her daughter was
forced to remove a pink wig she wore to school as it might encourage
others to dye their hair.
Ashanti
Elliott-Smith suffers from a rare disease which causes her body to age
eight times faster than normal and means she is not expected to live
past the age of 15.
The
pupil at Oakmeeds Community College, West Sussex, was told to take
the wig off by a teacher because it was 'not cold in the school' and she
felt so humiliated that she has not wanted return.
Ashanti Elliott Smith, 11, was forced to remove her bright pink wig by a teacher at her school in West Sussex
Her
mother, Phoebe Smith, said: 'She was devastated when they told her to
take it off. Her little heart was broken. It's disgusting. It is bright
but she should have the right to wear whatever colour hair she wants.'
'She was so proud of her hair but this has put her on a downer.
'When
I took her into school three teachers by the office said she looked
glamorous and beautiful and said how lovely her wig was.
'But as soon as I turned my back they told her to remove it. It was so embarrassing for her.
'It was the first time she wore the wig into school and she has not been back in since last Thursday.
'It's
a pink wig, come on, other children would have understood. I have only
got a few years left with her so we want her to live it to the full.'
Her mother Phoebe (right) said Ashanti was devastated and did not want to go to school the next day
The incident allegedly occurred at Oakmeeds Community College, West Sussex, last Thursday
Ashanti's
rare condition, Hutchinson Gilford Progeria, causes symptoms including
stunted growth, hair loss, weight loss, wrinkled skin, stiff joints, and
heart disease.
The pink wig was donated by friends as Ashanti's family struggles to afford human hair wigs.
Ms Smith said: 'There is no rule about terminally ill children not being able to wear wigs.
'She looks a lot different to other children. We get a lot of bad comments about Ashanti and this knocked her right back.'
A
student, Kate Boyd, commenting on Facebook, said: 'She suffers with
alopecia and I think she should be allowed to wear a wig to school if it
makes her confident and... makes her feel like anyone else at school.'
Colin
Taylor, Headteacher Oakmeeds Community College, said: 'Ashanti attended
school in a large purple wig which was the first time she had appeared
in school wearing a wig or any form of head wear.
'Her
Learning Mentor, who meets her every morning and supports her
throughout the day along with a Learning Support Assistant, spoke to the
Head of Year about it.
'It
was agreed by the Director of Inclusion and Head of Year that Ashanti
would wear the wig home but not in lessons because it was not cold in
the school and she had never wanted to wear one before.
Ashanti wanted to wear the wig to school to hide her alopecia, a side effect of Hutchinson Gildford Progeria
Ashanti suffers from rare disease Hutchinson Gilford Progeria which causes accelerated ageing
'We tried to discuss this with Ashanti's mother on Thursday but we were not able to make contact with her.
'We have worked closely with Ashanti's mother to ensure her wishes that her daughter is treated like all other pupils are met.
'Ashanti
is a pleasure to have in the school and we believe we have done
everything we can to meet both her needs and her mother's requirements
during the first half term.
'Ashanti has settled well at Oakmeeds.
'At
no time to our knowledge did she request special consideration about
head wear but we would fully understand it if Ashanti was to need a hat
or indeed a wig when the weather gets cold - even indoors.
'In
the past other children have worn wigs following serious illness, but
ones that were of a natural look - not large brightly coloured ones.
'We are more than happy to discuss this with Ashanti and her mum when College starts again next week after the half term break.'
Her father Albi Elliott , 44, spent £3,500 charity money intended for Ashanti to go swimming with dolphins
In
June this year it emerged that Ashanti's father stole £3,500 of charity
money that was intended for her to go swimming with dolphins.
She
was given the donation by Sussex British Motorcycle Owners Club (SBMOC)
in 2010 so she could go for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to America.
But
her father Albi Elliott, 44, hid the money from the rest of the family
and within two months had spent it - on trips to Tesco.
Blasting his actions as 'callous and despicably devious', the judge at Chichester Crown Court jailed Elliott for three years.
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