Bullying is a serious issue that we mustn’t cease battling. It unfortunately occurs in all societies, within schools but also workplaces. I especially despise hearing stories about bullied kids— and that’s why I think Hannah Combs story is so worth sharing. The 15-year-old is an ordinary teenager in her first year of high school at Harker Heights, in Texas, USA. But she barely had time to begin the school year before the bullying began. The bullying reached a frightening level when one day at school a boy sneaked up behind her and poured crazy glue over her hair and head. While Hannah suffered first-degree burns, and a severely sticky hair problem— the boy received little more than a warning. While the school continues to investigate the situation, one thing is certain: Hannah’s reaction has just been remarkable. I was extremely touched and proud when I saw how she — alongside a few helpful hands— managed to turn this nightmare into something positive.
It was an ordinary day at school. Hannah Combs was on the playground, talking with her friends when suddenly a boy sneaked up behind her and poured crazy glue on her head.
“It started to burn right away,” Hannah said. “It felt like my head was burning. It was horrible.”
Hannah’s father, Christian, a former military man, was furious as he felt that the school did nothing about it.
“I don’t want my daughter to be uprooted and have to change schools because of what this kid did to her,” said Christian. “The kid that did this should have been expelled. As far as I’m concerned, he lost his chance to attend Harker Heights when he did this.”
Unfortunately, there was no way around solving the dire hair situation than to cut Hannah’s hair.
“I realized that I lost the one thing that I liked the most about myself: my hair,” said Hannah. “My hair was the only thing I liked about myself, quite honestly. And I lost it without having done anything.”
The situation seemed hopeless. Jessica created a Facebook page for her daughter, “Justice for Hannah”, and support soon came pouring in from all sides.
“There are many people who can’t stand up for themselves, and they talk to me about it. It makes me want to help others in the same situation. It’s amazing how many people are supporting me,” said Hannah.
That’s when a local hairdresser, Nikken, got in touch with Hannah. She offered to fix her hair for free, as her way of helping out.
“Today I did something I’m very proud of. I cut a young girl’s hair after something traumatic happened to her at school. Her hair needed to be shaved on one side, so I made the best of a bad situation,” Nikki said.
Hannah likes her new look and is now using her story to help others, in the hope of inspiring more people to dare stand up to bullies.
“I want to make a difference. I would like people to continue to stand up for themselves. No one deserves to be bullied— it’s not right. I’m just an ordinary girl who strongly believes in helping others. When it comes to bullying I stand up for everyone, it’s worth it.”
Good on you Hannah! You’re a true role model, managing to turn a terrible experience into something positive. Hopefully, you can inspire others and together we can all do something to stand up and fight against bullying.
Newsner stands firmly against all forms of bullying and harassment. Please like and share Hannah’s story if you do too.
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