Rylands Story. The bullying started when Ryland was just five. It got so bad that he was physically sick every morning and begged not to go to school. “Those kids were so mean. They called me names because my ears stuck out like satellite dishes. I never wanted to go to school again. But now I’m not bullied anymore” said Ryland.
Mom Michelle said, “It was terrible. We had no idea this was going to be a problem. It would just break my heart to see that my child was so unhappy and hurting. Because to us, of course, he was perfect.”
Ryland would hold his ears down with my stretchy headbands and say “Mom! Isn’t there a doctor that can help me?”
There was. They found Dr. Wells, who performed an otoplasty to pin Ryland’s ears back. He even made sure Ryland got the UK blue bandages he wanted after surgery.
“We traded my headbands for the real deal. We saw how bad he wanted it done – and what we wanted was for him to have a life free of pressure and harassment. We thought it was important to get it done early so he didn’t have to go through all that for years. Plus, the recovery was so minor! He didn’t complain at all.”
“It changed Ryland’s life. No, it changed all our lives,” said Michelle. “We are just regular people, but we made sure he didn’t go through another school year in misery.”
Now at ten, Ryland loves school, makes great grades, and smiles all the time. He said, “I feel wonderful. And I’m pretty sure that if my ears had stayed that way there would be a whole new set of bullies coming into school every year to pick on me. Now the worries are gone.”
About telling his story, Ryland added, “I’d tell anyone that if kids are bullying you, go see Dr. Wells. And, if telling my story helps just one kid, it’s worth it.”
