We live in a world where success is about getting ahead and trying not to stand out too much. Because if you don’t fit in or are a little different from others, you’re considered ”odd” or ”abnormal.”
It’s a sad view of life, and it puts too much emphasis on how we look and how we compare to our peers.
Just ask Jono Lancaster, a person who’s flesh and blood just like the rest of us, but, unfortunately, has often been painfully reminded of just how cruel the world can be.
Jono Lancaster was born in England in October 1985 – but he didn’t look like other babies at the hospital.
The precious little boy had Treacher Collins syndrome, a rare congenital disorder that caused his facial bones to develop in an asymmetrical way.
After telling them about the diagnosis, the doctors also told Jono’s parents he would probably never walk or talk. It was too much for Jono’s shocked mom and dad, who abandoned him.
“When I was born, my parents were in total shock. I was out of the hospital 36 hours after I was born. Social services found someone to look after me. The foster carer was a lady called Jean,” Jono recounted at the 2015 Nord Conference.
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When he was less than two days old, Jono’s parents put him up for adoption and disappeared. The hospital contacted Social Service and a wonderful woman named Jean Lancaster took Jono in and raised him.
Jean wasn’t scared or shocked when she saw the little boy. She just picked him up and felt an instant bond. Jean turned to the nurse and said, “When can I take him home?”
From the start, his foster mom gave him the love and care every child needs, and Jono couldn’t ask for a better and more devoted mother.
But even though Jono had great support from his mother, his early years were marked by reluctance from the outside world to show understanding.
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