The little one has a long way to go in terms of recovery but he is a fighter who isn't willing to give up.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on July 15, 2022. It has since been updated.
Trigger Warning: This article contains graphic descriptions and images that readers may find distressing.
Seven-year-old Ryder Wells has gone through much pain and trauma at a very young age. When he was just 21 months old, he was mauled by two 100-pound rottweilers. Since then, he has undergone nearly 50 surgeries, according to The Mirror.
The dogs who attacked him back in 2015 belonged to a family friend. Wells was airlifted into the hospital and went into surgery for 14 hours. The dogs were taken by animal control and were put down the same day.
After the attack, the child lost most of his right cheek, his bottom eyelid, and 75 percent of his lips. His teeth were crushed, and he also had a broken arm and a punctured right lung.
Brittany Nicole, Wells' mother, and a teaching assistant spoke about how people around the little one reacted to his disfigured face after the attack.
It got to a point where strangers walking in the street would pass cruel comments about Wells' appearance. The distraught mother revealed that his peers have dubbed him as a "monster" in the playground.
"In the beginning, it was horrible because even adults would stare. For the first year, he had no face on one side because he had two unsuccessful skin grafts. When we go to the park, there's a child who points and screams 'monster' at him before running away," shared the mother.
Perhaps you remember Ryder wells? He was mauled by dogs two plus years ago and is still recovering. Tonight we’re talking to the owner of a Clayton BBQ restaurant about he’s doing to help this family. #ABC11 pic.twitter.com/bd1QEDYwId
— Josh Chapin (@JoshChapinABC11) June 1, 2018
She also said that one day they went shopping and somebody said, "ew" after looking at Ryder. "It's hard and it breaks my heart as a parent that after everything he's been through, people aren't always nice over something he can't help," she said.
Despite the taunts, Wells is not one to give up that easily. "But he is such a fighter, he doesn't let anything hold him back," shared Nicole.
Initially, the doctors didn't have much hope for the boy, but he surprised them all with his recovery! He attended preschool and kindergarten and learned to eat and drink. He is currently attending third grade while going through multiple surgeries over the last two years, according to the GoFundMe page.
Wells recently underwent bone graft surgery on June 24, 2022. His mother shared on the fundraising page that while the surgery was a success, he has a lot of difficulty in recovery. "I can tell his eyes are definitely more even! He had lots of emotions after this surgery and said he wanted no more!" the mom wrote.
She shared that they will have to wait for a couple of years after going through another surgery. Nicole is now speaking up to raise awareness about the consequences of bullying against those with facial disfigurements. "He knows that people are talking about him but he doesn't say much. He wears glasses and a cap and sometimes he'll hang his head to hide his face," she said.
Boy, 5, whose face was ripped off by rottweilers is called ‘monster’ in playgroundhttps://t.co/YEE3bq17Yv
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) July 17, 2020
"I try to deal with it in a better manner so it doesn't affect him so much. But I just tell him every day that he's beautiful, different is beautiful and it's ok to be different."
She said that they work on reassuring Wells that there will always be people who will be unkind to him. "You always want your kid to be accepted and to fit in. Just because he's different, it doesn't make him less of a person," she added.
References:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/boy-whose-face-ripped-rottweilers-22368417
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-with-healing-for-ryder
Cover Image Source: GoFundMe
