Five-year-old Ryder Wells has seen more terror than most people would in their lifetime.
The boy from North Carolina escaped a violent attack by two rottweilers in 2015 while celebrating Thanksgiving with family, despite all the odds against them.
He was only 21 months old when the two 100-pound dogs attacked him. His teeth were smashed, half of his face was gone, his arm was broken, and his lung was perforated.
This little fighter persisted despite his family’s doubts that he would survive, and he has since had nearly 50 surgeries.
Instead of being commended for surviving such a horrific attack, this cute child now has to endure cruel comments from children and adults.
Ryder’s teaching assistant claimed that when he initially entered school, even the adults would stare at him.
“There is a child who points and screams’monster’ at him before running away when we go to the park,” mother Brittany reportedly told The Mirror newspaper.
The other day, he was out shopping when someone yelled “ew” at him. Despite everything he has been through, I find it hard and distressing as a mother that people aren’t always nice about something he can’t change.
“But he is such a fighter; he doesn’t let anything stop him.”
Ryder’s survival is referred to as a “miracle” because not even the medical experts believed he would live.
The 31-year-old mother from Granite Falls is now frightened of her son’s first day of school.
He wears spectacles and a cap, and sometimes he hangs his head to hide his face. But I just remind him every day that he is beautiful, that it’s good to be different, and that being different is beautiful.
“I just do my best to reassure him, but I’m terrified of him going to school.” There will always be some nasty kids, of course.
She now hopes that Ryder’s story will raise awareness of the effects bullying can have on someone with a facial handicap and make others reevaluate how they treat people who appear different.
In order to help children like Ryder lead the happy life they deserve, we need to instill in them the values of kindness and refraining from making fun of others based solely on their appearance.
Please share to show this young youngster how much you care and to let him know that he is beautiful on the inside as well as the outside.
