Warning: This article contains distressing images.

This is a story that reminds us how much progress humanity still needs to make. It’s a story about a brave little boy named Ryder Wells, who not only survived a brutal attack by two Rottweilers but also defied all odds to live and tell his story. Unfortunately, due to the severity of the attack, he was left with a disfigured face, and some people heartlessly labeled him as a “monster.”

Ryder Wells was just 21 months old when the attack took place on Thanksgiving in 2015. He and his mother, Brittany, were visiting their family friends at the time. Brittany recounts the horrifying incident: “We were eating breakfast, and Ryder was playing with his toys when suddenly he disappeared. I looked out of the window and saw him lying face down in the garden. His pajamas were completely torn, leaving only one sleeve. When we picked him up and turned him over, his face was unrecognizable. We had seen the dogs before, and they had never shown any aggression. I still don’t know what triggered their attack. The doctors gave us little hope, saying it was a miracle that he survived, considering the extent of his injuries. They even feared he might be paralyzed due to the severity of the bites near his skull.”

During the attack, Ryder lost his entire right cheek, over half of his lip, his teeth were crushed, his right lung punctured, and his arm broken. He was urgently airlifted to the hospital, where he underwent more than 14 hours of life-saving surgeries. As a mother, Brittany had to endure an unimaginable amount of anxiety and uncertainty.

Thankfully, Ryder’s resilient spirit helped him pull through, although his face would forever bear the scars of that fateful day. He went on to undergo more than 50 facial reconstruction surgeries and will continue to need additional surgeries in the future to fully heal.

Now here’s the heartbreaking part: the way people react when they see Ryder’s disfigured face. As Brittany explains, “He knows that people are talking about him, but he doesn’t say much. He wears glasses and a cap, sometimes hiding his face. I try my best to shield him from the cruelty of others. Every day, I tell him he is beautiful just the way he is. I want him to know that being different is beautiful and that it’s okay to be different. But I can’t help but worry about the challenges he’ll face when he goes to school. Unfortunately, there will always be some unkind kids. To lessen the shock when he started kindergarten, I made sure his classmates were aware of his story beforehand. You always want your child to be accepted and to fit in. Just because he looks different, it doesn’t make him any less of a person.”

But, thankfully, there is hope and support for Ryder. He has a wonderful group of friends, and the people in his town have grown to love and support him. Brittany shares, “He has adapted remarkably well. He’s surrounded by a great group of friends, and the community knows and embraces him, which has boosted his confidence. It’s incredible how he has adjusted to life after such a traumatic experience.”

Now, Ryder is five years old, and his family has started a GoFundMe campaign to support his future surgeries and treatments. We wish Ryder all the happiness in the world and hope that people can show more kindness and understanding towards those who have gone through hardships. After all, the world can be a cruel place, but it is the power of love and acceptance that can help us heal and thrive.