We live in a world where success often means blending in while racing to get ahead. Standing out—being different—can unfairly label you as “strange” or “abnormal.”
It’s a harsh reality that places far too much importance on appearances and constant comparisons to others.
Take Jono Lancaster, for example—a remarkable individual, as human and resilient as any of us, yet someone who has faced the world’s cruelty head-on simply because he doesn’t fit society’s narrow mold of “normal.”
Jono Lancaster entered the world in October 1985, born in England, but he didn’t look like the other newborns in the hospital.
From the start, Jono’s life was marked by challenges. He was diagnosed with Treacher Collins syndrome, a rare congenital condition that prevented his facial bones from developing symmetrically.
The news overwhelmed his parents. Alongside the diagnosis, doctors told them that their baby boy might never walk or talk. For Jono’s parents, it was simply too much to bear, and they made the heartbreaking decision to abandon him.
“In total shock, my parents left me. Just 36 hours after I was born, I was out of the hospital,” Jono shared during the 2015 Nord Conference. “Social services quickly found someone to care for me—a foster mother named Jean.”
Jean would become a beacon of hope in Jono’s life, proving that love and compassion could change everything.
Before he was even two days old, Jono’s parents made the devastating decision to put him up for adoption and disappeared. Left without a family, Social Services stepped in and contacted a remarkable woman named Jean Lancaster.
When Jean first laid eyes on the little boy, she wasn’t afraid or shocked by his appearance. Instead, she picked him up with unconditional love and felt an immediate, unshakable bond. Turning to the nurse, Jean asked just one simple question: “When can I take him home?”
From that moment on, Jean became the devoted mother every child deserves. She showered Jono with love, care, and unwavering support, creating a home filled with warmth and acceptance.
But while Jean gave him everything he needed, the outside world wasn’t as kind. Jono’s early years were shadowed by a lack of understanding and compassion from those around him—a stark reminder of how society often struggles to embrace what it doesn’t understand.
When Jono started school, he began to see himself through the eyes of others. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he looked different from his classmates.
“I felt like I was completely on my own, like I was the only one in the world who looked like me,” Jono shared in an interview with Adelaide Now. “People win the lottery, become professional footballers, doctors, lawyers… but I thought, *‘Why did I have to end up looking like this?’”
Treacher Collins syndrome doesn’t impact a child’s intelligence in any way. Yet, for Jono’s classmates, his appearance overshadowed everything else. They didn’t see the bright, intelligent boy in front of them; they only saw someone different.
The cruelty was relentless. Children ran away from Jono, pulled faces at him, and taunted him, saying they didn’t want to “catch his disease.”
“I used to hide how unhappy I was from my mom. She had already done so much for me,” Jono revealed in an interview with the BBC.
Despite the relentless challenges and hurtful judgments, Jono refused to let the world break his spirit. He was determined not to let the haters win—and through it all, he had an extraordinary woman by his side.
Jono’s foster mother, Jean, was not just a source of love and strength; she was his fiercest advocate. Hoping to bridge the divide, Jean made numerous attempts to reconnect Jono with his biological parents. For five long years, she wrote them letters—only to have each one returned unopened.
But Jean never gave up on Jono. On May 18, 1990, she took a bold and beautiful step that changed his life forever: she officially adopted him.
Jean didn’t just give Jono a home—she gave him a family and a place where he truly belonged.
“So I get two birthdays!” Jono shared with a smile at the 2015 Nord Conference. “I used to tell other kids that my mom went to the hospital, looked at all the babies, and chose me—whereas their parents were stuck with them.”
Jono’s love and gratitude for his foster mom, Jean, have never wavered. In a deeply emotional Facebook post from 2015, he shared just how much she means to him:
*”This lady may be small in stature, but she has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. For over 30 years, she’s opened her home and her heart as a foster carer, loving and caring for so many children. Every time a child moved on to another home, she cried, feeling as though she’d somehow failed them.
Yet, despite being a single mom in her 40s, this incredible lady took me in—not knowing what the future held. She didn’t just foster me; she adopted me. She gave me a family, a home, and the unconditional love I needed. Along with Claire and Stephen, she gave me a place to belong.
This lady is an angel, sent to me at a time when I needed one the most.”*
Jean’s unwavering love and compassion didn’t just change Jono’s life—it defined it.
“This angel’s name is Jean—my mum, my hero.”
As Jono entered his teenage years, the weight of his struggles began to take its toll. He became rebellious, acting out in ways that often seemed uncharacteristic. Sometimes, his actions were driven by a desire to draw attention—anything to distract people from the one thing he couldn’t change: his physical features.
“I was feeling so alone,” Jono admitted.
Desperate to fit in, he turned to alcohol and even tried to win people over with sweets, hoping it would make them like him. But beneath the surface of his defiance and bravado was a young boy yearning for acceptance, belonging, and understanding.
Today, Jono Lancaster has turned his struggles into a mission to inspire and uplift others. He meets with children facing similar challenges, offering them hope, encouragement, and the understanding he once longed for. He also works closely with parents, helping them navigate the uncertainties of their child’s condition.
Jono now works as an inspirational teacher and speaker, often sharing his journey and raising awareness about Treacher Collins syndrome.
“My parents still want nothing to do with me,” Jono shares honestly. “But what’s changed is my attitude, and that’s what’s so powerful. […] I wouldn’t change any of it. My attitude was more disabling than anything. With the right attitude, you can achieve anything.”
One of Jono’s mentees is two-year-old Zackary Walton from Australia, a little boy who has already faced bullying because of his appearance. Despite Zackary’s young age, he’s found something invaluable in Jono—a mentor, a role model, and most importantly, a lifelong friend.
Jono’s story reminds us that while life’s challenges may shape us, it’s our attitude that defines who we truly become.
“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, told Adelaide Now.
When Jono and Zackary met for the first time in November 2014, this picture was posted on Facebook — and it’s just so lovely to see.
In 2015, Jono Lancaster’s life took another beautiful turn when he met Laura Richardson while working as a fitness instructor.
Their connection was instant, and they quickly fell in love. Laura saw Jono for who he truly is—a kind, inspiring, and resilient man—and she embraced him and his condition wholeheartedly. Together, they became a team, spreading positivity, hope, and smiles wherever they went.
Before meeting Laura, Jono believed that adoption would be his path to starting a family. The idea of fatherhood had always been close to his heart, stemming from his own experiences.
“I’ve always dreamed of being a daddy,” Jono shared with the BBC in 2011. “I crave those father-and-son moments. My adoptive mum was absolutely amazing, but I never had a father figure in my life, and that’s something I really, really want. I want to do the school run, take my child to dance, gymnastics, or football—whatever they want.”
With Laura by his side, Jono’s dream of creating a loving family feels more tangible than ever. Their story is a testament to the power of love, acceptance, and the beauty of building a life together.
For Jono Lancaster, the thought of becoming a father has always been a mix of hope, fear, and deep reflection. Any child he fathers has a 50% chance of being born with Treacher Collins syndrome. While Jono himself was relatively healthy, he knows firsthand that some children with the condition face severe medical challenges, including breathing difficulties at birth.
This reality sparked waves of emotions and difficult questions. Adoption seemed like the best option to Jono—after all, it had given him a second chance at life.
“It worked really well for me,” Jono shared. “Giving a child a second chance, I think that’s brilliant.”
But for his partner, Laura, the conversation was more complex. “Laura thinks she will have those instincts of really wanting to carry a child,” Jono explained. “She’s worried that she might find it hard to look after someone else’s child—or that the child will just want to find its natural parents.”
At the same time, Laura deeply values the idea of their child being their child, a reflection of their love and bond.
“And I really want to look after her when she’s pregnant,” Jono continued with a smile. “For her to be on the sofa, or for me to run downstairs at 2 a.m. when she fancies a pickle.”
Jono’s heartfelt words reflect both his compassion and his desire to build a family filled with love, understanding, and care—whether through biology, adoption, or both.
Sadly, after ten years together, Laura and Jono decided to part ways. Despite their deep connection and shared history, they realized they had grown apart and weren’t evolving as a couple. Jono opened up about the split on Instagram, explaining:
“Myself and Laura shared 10 amazing years together, and we decided to go our separate ways as we weren’t growing together as a couple. Nothing but mutual respect there, and it had nothing to do with appearance.”
While many of Jono’s followers expressed their sympathy and tried to look on the bright side, encouraging him to see the potential for growth after the heartbreak, Jono’s response was raw and honest.
“I don’t think breakups can ever be spun into sounding good. It was heartbreaking,” he said, acknowledging the difficult emotions that come with ending a chapter in life.
Hear Jono tell his story in the video below. I promise it will leave a lasting impression on your heart.
Although Jono’s story is heartbreaking, it’s also incredibly uplifting to see his strength and courage and how he uses it to help other children in the same situation.
I really hope we can help Jono’s story get more attention. Not just to inspire others, but also to give hope and confidence to others who need it. Because we all need some inspiration now and then.
No one should ever be judged, bullied, or discriminated against because of their appearance! Share this article if you agree!
