Choosing to have children either biologically or through adoption is a big step, but it was one that a woman from the United Kingdom was willing to take, especially considering her adoptive son’s backstory.
According to the Adoption Network, more than 33% of Americans have considered adopting, although only 2% actually have adopted a child or multiple children. There are roughly 140,000 children adopted by American families every year, and about one in 50 children are adopted.
There are also different types of adoption, including private and open. The former means that the adoptive parents become the sole caretaker of the adopted child and that the biological parents are no longer involved in their lives. The latter option is more open-ended and allows the child to have a relationship with both his or her adoptive parents and biological parents.
On top of all of this, people who are adopted may also encounter some difficulties throughout their life depending on how they feel about where they came from. Adoptees often have emotional baggage over feeling rejected by their birth parents. This is vastly worse if they know they were literally abandoned because of something about themselves.
Such is the backstory of UK native Jono Lancaster, who has a genetic disorder. Treacher Collins syndrome causes a child to have facial deformities in addition to hearing issues and eating problems. They are otherwise developmentally normal. When Jono was less than two days old, he was abandoned over this birth defect back in 1985. But Jean Lancaster, a lady with a big heart, soon adopted him.
Unfortunately, Jean’s love could not protect him from the cruelty of school kids who mocked him and shunned him. This left him socially isolated and very unhappy, something he tried to hide, but it came out as rebelliousness when he was a teen, according to the BBC.
Things began to change when he was 19 and offered a job at a bar, as BBC reported. Although intensely nervous at first, it ultimately helped him get over his social anxiety and make friends.
He soon finished an educational program and started his career in the field of fitness. Although his face is still shaped by his genetic disorder, he has the body of an Adonis. He also now has a beautiful wife and a happy marriage.
The happy couple has made it their mission to help others like Jono, explained the BBC. With her support, he does a lot of volunteer work with children with the same syndrome, as well as children with other disabilities, such as Autism. His inspiring work impacts people from around the world.
His birth parents have never learned to accept him. Of course, this is still a source of pain for him. However, he has learned to accept himself and has become an inspiration to others. These days, when doctors ask him if he wants more plastic surgery, he says no. He feels this is how God made him.
What the world views as an ugly face is just the outside of a beautiful soul who has become an inspiring teacher and role model for both children and adults alike. His takeaway from his life experiences was that his attitude had been a much bigger problem than his genetic disorder.
What do you think of this beautiful soul? Show this inspirational article to your friends and family and let us know your thoughts!
