A light-hearted, wacky and colourful fundraiser is aiming to support the thousands of Kiwi kids battling cancer each year.
Grace Quinlan — a 6-year-old Winchester Rural School pupil — is one of those affected children and has been bravely facing B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia for the past 18 months.
With Childhood Cancer Awareness month kicking off this week, her classmates are doing their bit to support Grace on her journey by fundraising for Wig Wednesday on September 10.
Now in its 10th year, Wig Wednesday is a Child Cancer Foundation fundraiser that encourages people to wear a wig, style a wacky hairdo, or even shave their head in solidarity for all the kids going through what is often the hardest time of their lives.
Grace’s mother, Kaye Quinlan said it was very cool to see the school getting behind the fundraiser.
‘‘Grace lost all her hair last year and she’s a girl that loves Frozen and all the sort of Disney things with princesses with long hair. It’s really hard for her going to school and seeing all the other kids with long hair all tied up and wanting to be like that.
‘‘For the school to get in behind it with Wig Wednesday, it helps the other kids at school understand a little bit about the cancer journey and that not everyone looks the same, and of course raising a little bit of money for a cool charity that’s helped us a lot too.
‘‘The school has just been amazing and they’ve kind of adapted things to her, like her attendance isn’t that great between chemo and if she gets a cold it can knock her out for a month. They talk about what she is going through and we’ve never had an issue with kids being mean or saying anything to her.’’
Grace was diagnosed in October 2023 when she was 4 years old, and has been undergoing treatment ever since.
She is in the maintenance phase of the treatment, which is scheduled to finish in December — just before Christmas.
Mrs Quinlan said it had been a challenging journey so far.
‘‘Thankfully it’s not a normal situation for your kid to have cancer and be so unwell. It’s just completely uncharted territory and often each journey is different too.
‘‘It’s been hard at times, particularly when the unexpected happens, like all your different hospital appointments for blood or heart checks or dental things. If she gets a fever over 38 degrees she’s got to go to hospital, and it can be days, so you’ve just got to basically drop and leave everything.’’
She said her daughter was very resilient, and just got on with it.
‘‘You hear about cancer and you think, ‘oh god’, but being a kid they don’t understand that. You just break it down into smaller bits for them to understand.
‘‘She has a tablet that she watches when she’s at the hospital to keep her occupied and we do wee treats and that kind of thing. She has been very, very brave.
‘‘She has been in hospital this week and has just said that all she wants to do is go back to school and see her friends.’’
It would be a bit of an unknown how things would go when the treatment finished in December, Mrs Quinlan said.
‘‘We hope with time, her immune system will get back up and going and she’ll start to be able to get back into a few more events and things that she likes to do. We’ve missed countless friends’ birthdays and social events because we just have to protect her with germ exposure and things like that.
‘‘She wants to go back and do a bit more karate, do swimming lessons and gymnastics and all of those kinds of things.’’
Referrals to the Child Cancer Foundation increased 19.2% in 2025 compared to last year and chief executive Monica Briggs said every week, three families in New Zealand would face the devastating news their child has cancer.
‘‘The pressure on families is enormous, and with referrals increasing rapidly, our support is needed more than ever. From petrol vouchers and counselling to accommodation and peer connection, we provide a lifeline during their darkest days.
‘‘None of this would be possible without the kindness and generosity of Kiwis who get behind Wig Wednesday and other fundraising efforts.
‘‘Wig Wednesday isn’t just about fun and fundraising. It’s about showing tamariki facing cancer that their community stands beside them — providing strength, hope and practical support every step of the way.’’
The Wig Wednesday Fundraiser had raised $1.5 million since it began and the aim this year was to raise at least $250,000.
With no direct government funding, the foundation must raise $6.5m each year to continue its work.
Anyone wishing to support the fundraiser can do so by visiting the Wig Wednesday website, texting ‘‘WIG’’ to 3457 to donate $3 or by just wearing a wig, going wild with your hair or shaving it off to show support on September 10 or anytime during the month.
