Hat Day for Wyatt

L-R, Keyshawn Taylor, Caden Foster, Tucker Bales, Wyatt Crippen Happy to be back in school! - Staff Photo by Robin Archer

L-R, Keyshawn Taylor, Caden Foster, Tucker Bales, Wyatt Crippen Happy to be back in school!
– Staff Photo by Robin Archer

Mt. Horeb, Piedmont, and Dandridge Elementary all held “Hat Day for Wyatt” this week.  Wyatt is a second grader at Mt. Horeb Elementary in Dandridge.  This incredible young man is recovering from Benign Pilocytic Astrocytoma, a brain tumor. “Hat day” let students who donated $1 wear a hat to school with the proceeds benefiting Wyatt.

Everyone has difficulties at one time or another in life, unfortunately for 8 year old Wyatt Crippen and his family, the past year has been one of those rough times. Wyatt is an active and happy child who loves to play with Lego’s and is a blue belt in Karate. Over Christmas break last year, Wyatt was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The first surgery was soon after. Wyatt was sick before the first surgery so the recovery time took a little while. Then there was a second tumor that was not cancerous which was removed just recently during a second surgery.

Wyatt was in better health this time around and is quickly recovering from the second surgery and has had a remarkable attitude throughout his diagnosis.  Wyatt’s friends, classmates, teachers and school staff were very happy to see him back in school this week. Wyatt was not at all fazed by the fact that “Hat Day for Wyatt” was in honor of him. This intelligent cheerful little gentleman was just disappointed that he too could not wear a hat to school because of his stitches.

All of Wyatt’s surgeries were at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. Both of Wyatt’s parents work, but an illness in the family can cause a huge strain on a family, not only emotionally but also financially. Community members who would like to offer assistance to the family can do so by contacting Kristi Hardin Crippen (his mother) on Facebook.  The Crippen family expressed how much they truly appreciate the local elementary students who have reached out to show Wyatt such support.

Source: Robin Archer, Jefferson County Post Staff Writer