Bellevue student's story lands in 'Chicken Soup' book

Sara Wessling has always liked penning short stories, although the Bellevue teenager only wrote them for herself.

Until now.

On a whim, the Bellevue West High School senior poured her heart out to the publishers of the popular "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series in December 2008.

Sara sat at her computer and in a matter of hours wrote a true story about her older brother's struggle with alcoholism and his subsequent transformation after spending several weeks in a rehabilitation clinic. Then she pushed the send button and soon forgot about it.

"Six or seven months later they sent an e-mail saying it was possible my story would be published," she said. Specifically, her story was a contender for a new tongue-in-cheek book about "wacky" families.

The tentative acceptance notice took Sara by surprise, only because so much time had passed since she submitted her story.

"I had completely forgotten about it, " Sara said.

It was then that she decided to tell her family about her submission. They were all thrilled, she said.

"My mom was really excited. She started bragging right away," Sara said, smiling.

Her mother, Patty, said she never dreamed Sara would get published so young.

"She has always liked writing and the English language," she said.

Sara said her brother, Brian, 21, was supportive of his sister's memoir about the out-of-control time in his life leading up to his admission into rehab.

"He thought it was pretty cool," Sara said. "We kind of had a brother-sister bonding moment," she said. It also coincided with his "one-year sober" celebration and release from rehab, she said.

Shortly before its release in October, the editors contacted Sara again, sending her a $200 check in the mail and congratulating her on her successful inclusion in "All in the Family, 101 Incredible Stories About Our Funny, Quirky, Lovable & 'Dysfunctional' Families," prompting Brian to ask, "Which one am I, funny, quirky, lovable or dysfunctional?"

The story, titled, "Our Little Man," chronicles Brian's successful completion in rehab and his sister's poignant impressions at the time, including her mixed feelings that her only brother would miss her 16th birthday while a patient there.

Sara said her brother continues to be sober and is proud of his sister's literary success.

Sara said she has not tried to submit anything else for publication recently.

"If the opportunity presents itself, sure," she said, "but I more than likely won't go out of my way to do it."

Sara said she has been too busy producing Bellevue West's video yearbook and also preparing for her lead role in the school's upcoming production of "Star Nights."

She is heading to Northwest Missouri State University in the fall, and she wants to be a teacher, although at this point she has not decided whether to major in elementary or secondary education. Of the latter, she said she may want to teach high school English someday.