Sarah Atwell, 'Girl With Half a Face,' Stands Up to Bullies, Inspires Thousands (VIDEO)
Sarah Atwell, 18, is not your typical teenager. She was born with neurofibromatosis, which caused a massive tumor to grow on the side of her face and is the subject of a new documentary on Discovery Fit & Health entitled "The Girl With Half a Face." Atwell had surgery to remove the tumor but not before standing up to those who bullied her for her appearance.
"My nanny always told us when we were sad to cheer us up, 'Be strong, no matter what happens,'" Atwell told ABC News. "I was in grade three and people were calling me names like 'fat face' and 'ugly' and were pushing me around. They said I had a disease. Most of the time, I just walked away and didn't say much to them."
Atwell's mother explained that many of the people who avoided Sarah were under the misconception that she had a "horrible disease they could catch." Finally, at age 16, Atwell decided to take action and posted a video to YouTube; she explained her story and ended with the message "Maybe one day the bullying will stop." That video caught the eye of executives at the Discovery Channel, and they contacted Atwell and offered to make a documentary of her life.
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In 2010, Atwell underwent three surgeries to remove the tumor, but has not revealed any photos of herself post-surgery in order to build anticipation for the big reveal during the documentary.
"It's pretty awesome," Atwell said of life post-surgery. "I am pretty sure most of it is gone except a little bit around the eyes. The doctor said he could not be sure if it would come back or not. If I could stand up to bullying, and if another kid who was bullied sees me and thinks they can talk to someone and think, 'I can stand up for myself,' then I have helped."
"The Girl With Half a Face" airs on Discovery Fit & Health on Dec. 18.
Watch a clip from the documentary here:
