Kentucky Student With Cancer Harassed for Using Handicapped Parking Space

Lexi Baskin, a college student in Kentucky who was diagnosed with cancer, was harassed after she parked in a handicapped parking spot.

She tweeted a photo of her car with stickers that shamed her for being “lazy” and “not really” handicapped.

Baskin attends the University of Kentucky. After she went to go meet with a professor, she discovered a plethora of stickers plastered on her vehicle.

“I met with a professor and I came back out with a friend, and my car was covered in signs,” Baskin told, Lex18 News.

“Most of them said ’shame on you.'”

Baskin said that last summer, doctors found a tumor in her brain stem. It’s been removed, but she is undergoing radiation therapy that has left her dizzy and fatigued.

“The whole school has a lunch break from 12:00 to 1:00, so instead of taking my lunch, I go over to there, get treatment, and come back and then go back to class,” she said.

One of the letters on her car says she doesn’t appear to need the special parking.

“There are legit handicapped people who need this parking space,” reads the letter. “We have seen you and your friend come and go. There is nothing handicapped about either of you.”

“Reminder that you have no idea what’s going on in people’s lives,” Baskin wrote in response on Twitter.

Her post has gotten more than 47,000 retweets and over 108,000 likes.

“It kind of breaks my heart there are so many people that are being like, ‘Oh my gosh, I went through the same thing’ or like have messaged me on Facebook and said ‘I went through this’ and they share their story with me,” Baskin told CBS News. “That’s why I want this to get out there to make people aware that just because you can’t see something, doesn’t mean people aren’t going through it.”

The University of Kentucky, meanwhile, issued a statement on the matter to Lex18 News.

“The University of Kentucky and Transportation Services deeply regret that a student was subjected to this as there are many reasons an individual may have an ADA accessible permit that may not be readily observable. It’s important to be clear: this unfortunate action was that of a rogue individual unaffiliated with Transportation Services of our police department,” the statement read.

“UK is a community of belonging for everyone, regardless of identity or perspective, and part of that means ensuring that everyone is treated with respect and dignity. This situation has been referred to UK Police for follow up. Moreover, our Disability Resource Center has reached out to the student to determine how we can help,” it continued.

“We work with hundreds and hundreds of students throughout the school year on these issues to help ensure that everyone on our campus feels a sense of belonging to this community.”