Shine OnSarah Atwell, Nova Scotia teen with ‘half a face,’ stands up to bullies
Sarah Atwell, 18, was born with the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis. A large tumour grew on the side of her face, deforming her features and making her a target for bullies.
"Sarah never noticed she was different — she always thought she was the same as the other kids," her mother, Tara Atwell, 44, tells ABC News. "They didn't understand it was a tumour and thought it was some kind of horrible disease they could catch."
Two years ago, at the age of 16, the Windsor, Nova Scotia teen shared her story on YouTube via flash cards.
"I wish people could just understand, there is nothing wrong with me," reads one card.
"Maybe one day the bullying will stop," reads another.
When it went viral, the Discovery Channel contacted her and offered to make a documentary about Atwell's ordeal, following the risky surgeries that have finally removed most of the tumour.
She hasn't revealed any post-operation photos of herself yet. She's saving her new face for the documentary, "Girl with Half a Face," which will air on Discovery Fit & Health on December 18.
"In terms of actual details we probably want to be a little more ambiguous about it so people get to see it when they watch the episode," Discovery publicity coordinator, Jordyn Linsk, says of Atwell's physical transformation to Medical Daily. "We want people to tune in."
"It's pretty awesome. 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," Atwell tells ABC News.
Atwell reveals that she's still due for another surgery next summer.
Now in her final year of high school, Atwell volunteers as a teacher's aide and hopes to work with kids in the future.
"Little kids see the good in everybody. They just see you as who you are," she told The Hants Journal last fall.
"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," she says.
