Facial Surgery Gives Teen a New Look On Life

A series of surgeries give hope to a teenager who suffers from a disfiguring condition. INSIDE EDITION caught up with the inspiring teen.

This teenager underwent life changing surgery. A huge facial tumor has made her a target of cruel bullies who have tormented her since the third grade and now she's finally having the tumor removed.

Seventeen-year-old Sarah Atwell suffers from neurofibromatosis, a facial tumor that got bigger and bigger as she got older. As a toddler, the tumor was just noticable. But over the years, it grew.

Sarah made a heartbreaking video pleading for the continuous abuse at school and the playground to stop. "Sometimes I wish I looked different," she wrote. "Maybe the hurt would go away."

The video went viral and was noticed by a plastic surgeon in Nova Scotia, Canada, Dr. Steven Morris who volunteered to perform the surgery.

Sarah's journey can be seen in a new documentary on the Discovery Fit and Health Channel, The Girl With Half A Face  premiering Wednesday night at 10:00 p.m. Dr. Morris plans to remove the tumor and reconstruct Sarah's face with titanium screws.

After four hours of surgery Sarah was wheeled into a recovery room. A huge improvement can already be seen.

INSIDE EDITION brought her to Hollywood Boulevard where she tried out her new smile, posing for pictures with Darth Vader.

Sarah is scheduled for more surgery soon, to lift her face and repair the damage the tumor has done over the years. But she is happy to finally face the world with her head held high and a real smile.

"I want people to know that I'm a normal person. I'm a human being. Just because I look different doesn't mean I'm an alien or a monster. I'm a human," said Sarah.