Yesterday my friends and I were watching TV and we decided to watch this TLC show titled: The Girl with Half a Face. The show followed a girl named Sarah Atwell who suffers from a condition called neurofibromatosis. This excerpt from Fox News better explains what having neurofibromatosis means.
“A very rare genetic disorder, neurofibromatosis is characterized by a disturbance of cell growth in the nervous system, prompting tumors to develop on some of the body’s nerve tissues. These tumors can grow in almost any area of the body, but in Sarah’s case, the tumor was concentrated on the entire right side of her face.”
The first reaction I had was shock. Why does she look this way? Why hadn’t anyone “fixed” her?
As Sarah talked about how she was bullied it made me want to reach into the screen and hug her. We can be so cruel when someone doesn’t fit the societal norm, especially children. I began to wonder if I would have been a bully or a friend to her if we were in school together. Obviously, I hope that we would have been friends but I can’t know that for sure. Unfortunately appearance often dictates how we act toward people, how polite or cruel we are, and if we approach or ignore each other. Sarah’s appearance deterred her classmates from getting to know her and bullying her for something they couldn’t understand.
But Sarah said something on the show that really struck me. It was along the lines of, “There’s nothing wrong with me. I have a tumor-that’s it.” Something that would make me the most self-conscious, bitter person has made Sarah into an accepting, confident woman ready to tackle the world.
What was probably the biggest inspirational thing on the show for me was Sarah began to tell the story about her making the video about her story. When she started about posting online I cringed. I would be/am so afraid of social ridicule that I couldn’t do it. But she was brave enough to do so and had amazing feedback. People wrote heartfelt messages to her and it really was great and very strange to see people expressing such humanity and love for a complete stranger. Click here to see the video.
Sarah Atwell has undergone multiple surgeries for neurofibromatosis and still continues to do so. These are dangerous surgeries that have to be hard not only on her but on her love ones. Her story taught me that beauty not only comes in all shapes and sizes but in all types of appearances. The preconceived societal notion I had that she needed fixed seems entirely ridiculous now.
Sarah has a tumor. That’s all. There’s nothing that needs “fixed”.
The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.
~Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.
Work Cited
Atwell, Sarah. “Sarah Atwell Story :).” YouTube. YouTube, 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.
Grush, Loren. “‘The Girl with Half a Face’: Teen with Rare Facial Deformity Opens up in New Documentary.” Fox News. FOX News Network, 18 Dec. 2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.
Nock, Andrew. Sarah Atwell, Bullied Teen with Half a Face. 2013. Nova Scotia. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2526058/Sarah-Atwell-suffers-neurofibromatosis-stands-cruel-bullies.html. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.
Beauty Around the World. 