I was a weird and wild child. I was prone to fits of laughter and obsessive-compulsive behavior. I collected shampoo bottles that I never used and lined up my lip balms in perfectly straight rows. My behavior was unpredictable. I could be aggressive and throw temper tantrums. At school I would explode with rage and hit kids, but I also could be friendly, fun, sweet, and compassionate.

I was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 5. I had multiple seizures a day, mostly generalized tonic-clonic and partial-onset seizures. I also had gelastic seizures, characterized by sudden bursts of energy, usually in the form of laughing. I called them brain tickles because the moment they started I would laugh uncontrollably.

Things came to a head when my mother got a call from my kindergarten teacher about my strange and disruptive behavior. At the time, my mom was working as a medical assistant for a neurologist, who recommended we go to the University of California at San Francisco. I underwent tests and stayed overnight for observation. During my stay, doctors discovered a hypothalamic hamartoma, a rare brain tumor.

The noncancerous tumor was located at the base of the brain, which regulates many normal functions. It had been growing since I was an infant and was causing my seizures and abnormal behaviors.

I had the tumor removed in 2004, when I was 8; that stopped the seizures but caused other problems, which were discovered on follow-up visits. My memory, attention, and executive functions were all below normal. At that point, I transitioned from mainstream classrooms to special education; it was much easier for me academically but difficult socially. I was constantly bullied by other kids.

In high school, whenever I rode in the van for special students, I was teased. I was never brave enough to stand up to the bullies. But the teasing motivated me to study harder, and I was able to graduate early from high school.

The teasing also inspired me to chronicle my health complications and emotional childhood in a self-published autobiography, Weird Girl with a Tumor. I hoped that in describing how I overcame the bullying and teasing by ignoring them and studying hard, others in similar situations would believe they could get through them too.

I also wrote and illustrated a children's book, Tessa Teaches Kindness, about a tortoise who has a brain tumor and epilepsy and is picked on by her classmates. The teacher explains Tessa's condition to the students and encourages them to be kind to her, reminding them that not all health problems are visible. Maybe kids who read this book will be more understanding of those who are different or have unique qualities.

As I figure out my future, I do my best to fight my fears, improve my self-esteem and social skills, and not let my learning disabilities hold me back.—As told to Paul Wynn