In order to succeed in today’s environment, one must advance and make every effort to fit in. Because if you don’t fit in or are a little different from others, people will perceive you as “abnormal” or “odd.”
It’s a gloomy outlook on life that places an excessive amount of emphasis on appearance and peer comparison.
Ask Jono Lancaster, a fellow human being who shares our ancestry but has unfortunately been painfully reminded time and time again just how harsh the world can be.
Despite being born in England in October 1985, Jono Lancaster didn’t look like the other infants in the hospital.
The rare prenatal illness known as Treacher Collins syndrome was the reason for the gorgeous infant boy’s uneven facial bone development.
In addition to the diagnosis, the doctors told Jono’s parents that he would probably never walk or talk. After realizing it was too much, Jono’s shocked parents decided to part ways with him.
I was born, and my parents were genuinely shocked. I was released from the hospital 36 hours after I was born. Social services assigned someone to take care of me. Jono mentioned the foster carer, Jean, during the 2015 Nord Conference.
When Jono was younger than two days old, his parents abandoned him and put him up for adoption. Following the hospital’s communication with Social Services, Jono was taken in and raised by Jean Lancaster, a nice woman.
Jean was not shocked nor horrified to see the small youngster. When she first took him up, she clicked with him immediately. “Can I bring him home soon?” Jean turned to look at the nurse and inquired.
Jono couldn’t have asked for a better or more loving mother; from the start, his foster mother gave him all the love and care he needed.
But even with his mother’s consistent support, Jono experienced a lack of understanding from the outside world during his early years.
As Jono entered school, he started to come to terms with who he was. He quickly came to the conclusion that he did not resemble his classmates.
I felt as though I was alone and that there was no one else like me in the entire world. I always thought, “Why did I have to end up looking like this?,” even if other individuals are lucky enough to win the lottery or go on to become doctors, attorneys, or professional football players, the person said in an Adelaide Now interview.
It is important to realize that a child’s IQ is unaffected in the slightest by Treacher Collins syndrome. All that interested his classmates was Jono’s appearance. They would pull faces as he got closer and run away, saying they didn’t want to catch his “disease.”
“I used to hide my unhappy feelings from my mom.” “She had already done so much for me,” he stated in a BBC interview.
But Jono didn’t give up and let the haters win since he had an incredible woman on his side.
The foster mother of Jono, Jean, tried to reunite him with his biological parents. However, she took the next step and adopted Jono on May 18, 1990, after he had been answering her letters for five years running.
And so it’s my double birthday! “I used to tell other kids that my mom went to the hospital and she looked at all the babies and she chose me, whereas their parents had been stuck with them,” Jono remarked at the 2015 Nord Conference.
In a moving Facebook post from 2015, Jono said he will always remember his foster mother.
Despite her little appearance, this woman has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. This woman is very sweet and selfless; she has spent thirty years caring for foster children. Every time a foster child found a new home, this mother would grieve, feeling as though she had somehow let them down. This 40-year-old mother on her own accepted me in spite of her ignorance of what was ahead. When she adopted me, this mother gave me an amazing family that included Claire and Stephen. I was given this woman right when I needed her; she is a true angel.
The angel’s name is Jean; she is my mother and my role model.
Jono became a really disobedient teenager. Sometimes he did things just to draw attention to himself. He used it to deflect criticism from his physical characteristics, which were really the main problem. He offered chocolates and a lot of alcohol in an attempt to win people over.
“It seemed as though I was alone.”
But because to Jean’s love and support as well as his own strong spirit, Jono soon decided to be a force for good and use his experience to help others.
Thirty-six-year-old Jono has devoted his life to helping people worldwide who suffer from Treacher Collins syndrome. He has been in charge of teams made up of adults with autism.
He meets children, talks with their parents about their situation, and gives them hope and encouragement. Currently employed as a motivational speaker, Jono talks about Treacher Collins disease a lot.
“My parents still don’t want anything to do with me,” he asserts. “My mindset has evolved, which is why it works so well. […] Nothing would change on my end. My attitude was more than anything crippling. If you have the right mindset, you can achieve anything.
Zackary Walton, an Australian two-year-old, is one of Jono’s mentees.
Despite his youth, Zackary has already been the target of bullying. But Jono has been a lifelong friend.
“When he said he was coming to Australia, we knew we had to meet him and it’s made us so happy to see Zack meet someone like him,” the boy’s mother, Sarah Walton, said to Adelaide Now.
When Jono and Zackary first linked in November 2014, this picture was posted on Facebook, and it’s truly lovely.
Wife of Jono Lancaster
In 2015, Jono was working as a fitness instructor when he first met Laura Richardson.
Laura accepted Jono’s condition when they fell in love. After she came to terms with his identity, the two of them decided to make everyone around them happy and smile.
Before he met Laura, Jono had always thought he would adopt kids if he ever got married and wanted to start a family.
“I’ve always wanted to be a father. Though my adopted mother was amazing, I was never raised by a father figure, and I truly miss that. I yearn for moments with my father and son. “I want to take my child to dance, gymnastics, football, or the school run—whatever they want,” Jono stated to the BBC in 2011.
Treacher Collins is fifty percent likely to be any child that Jono fathers. So the very thought of having his own child caused a wave of emotions, moral quandaries, and reflection. While Jono’s birth was relatively typical, many infants with Treacher Collins have severe health problems from birth, and some are born unable to breathe.
So maybe adopting was the right decision, Jono thought to himself.
“It worked really well for me, and I think giving a child another chance is wonderful.” Laura worries that she won’t be able to care for someone else’s child or that the child will want to find its biological parents, even though she thinks she will have a strong desire to become pregnant. Jono continued.
She also really wants our child to be ‘our’ child. I will be the one to come downstairs at two in the morning when she needs a pickle or to curl up on the sofa with her because I genuinely want to take care of her when she becomes pregnant.
Regretfully, Jono and Laura never had children. After ten years together, they decided to separate and go on. On Instagram, Jono shared a justification for his decision, writing:
“Laura and I decided to split up after 10 amazing years together because we weren’t growing as a couple. There was only respect for one another; appearances played no role.
A few of his backers showed compassion and tried to find the positive aspects of the situation, giving Jono hope that a shattered relationship may still end happily.
I think you can never make a breakup sound good. It was heartbreaking,” Jono shot back.
You can hear Jono describe his experience by watching the video below. I promise you that you won’t miss it:
Even though Jono’s experience was horrible, it is incredibly inspiring to see his bravery and tenacity in helping other children in similar situations.
It is my honest wish that we can help spread the word about Jono’s story. Not only to inspire others, but also to give hope and confidence to those who need it. because inspiration is a necessary thing for everyone occasionally.
Nobody should ever experience prejudice, harassment, or criticism because of their appearance! Please share this article if you agree!
