Community Corner

Dublin Woman Who Survived Brain Tumor, Bullying Writes Book

Sierra Crislip's book, "Weird Girl With a Tumor," tells the story of being bullied after having brain surgery to remove a tumor.

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This Dublin High School graduate survived a brain tumor and bullying. She wrote a book about it.
This Dublin High School graduate survived a brain tumor and bullying. She wrote a book about it. (Sierra Crisplin)

DUBLIN, CA — The first thing you notice about Sierra Crislip is her amazing smile. Although the young woman is shy and suffers from lifelong anxiety as a result of bullying, she smiles. She smiles with her mouth, her eyes and her attitude. And it is contagious. The beautiful 23-year-old woman who graduated from Dublin High School six months ahead of her classmates is a survivor.

Crislip was 5 years old when she was diagnosed with epilepsy and eventually a rare Hypothalamic Hamartoma brain tumor. Two years later, after having surgery to remove the tumor and get rid of her epilepsy, she began to walk the long road to recovery. Little did she know how long and painful that road would turn out to be.

When her parents re-enrolled her in elementary school, she said she was bullied because of some of her learning disabilities as well as cognitive and social deficits she suffered as a result of the brain surgery.

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"I was super shy, quiet and had absolutely no self-esteem," Crislip told Patch. "If I tried to talk, I’d stutter and shake like a leaf! I just really had super high social anxiety and kids always found a way to pick on me. Whether it was at the park, school, even after school kids’ clubs, I was picked on and suffered pain and agitation all throughout school. At lunch, kids didn’t want me sitting with them because I seemed stuck up, snooty, or rude and 'weird!' It was all just shyness."

Despite years of wrestling with her learning disabilities and the vicious taunting that came with, the timid girl worked hard in her classes and in January 2013, she graduated from high school. Then, thanks to the help of a life coach, she got a job and decided to write about her incredible story and victory.

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Her book, "Weird Girl with a Tumor," is now available on Amazon; Crislip recently made an appearance on "Good Day Sacramento" to talk about her life and the new book.

"The reason I wrote my book is to help and inspire those going through similar situations, and to stand out from the crowd of others who always taunted and criticized me," Crislip said.

Crislip, who describes herself as an introvert, said she came up with the title because of all of the strange things that happened to her as a result of the tumor.

"Want to know me? Well, this weird girl right here wrote a book and you are welcome to read it," Crislip said.

As part of a national reporting project, Patch has been looking at society's roles and responsibilities in bullying and a child's unthinkable decision to end their own life in hopes we might offer solutions that save lives.

Do you have a story to tell? Are you concerned about how your local schools handle bullies and their victims?

Email us at bullies@patch.com and share your views in the comments.

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