But Jono had an amazing woman by his side, and he refused to give up and allow the haters triumph.
Jean, Jono’s foster mother, made an effort to get him back to his birth parents. But on May 18, 1990, she made the next move and adopted Jono after they had been responding to her letters for five years in a row.
I thus have two birthdays! At the 2015 Nord Conference, Jono said, “I used to tell other kids that my mom went to the hospital and she looked at all the babies and she chose me, whereas their parents had been stuck with them.”
Jono expressed in a heartfelt 2015 Facebook post that he would never forget his foster mother.
“This woman has the largest heart of anyone I’ve ever met, despite her little diminutive stature. This woman has spent thirty years caring for foster children; she is incredibly loving and selfless. This woman felt she had let them down in some way, and she would cry each time a foster child went to a new home. This woman, a 40-year-old single mother, accepted me even though she had no idea what was ahead. This woman gave me an incredible family, along with Claire and Stephen, when she adopted me. This woman is a true angel, given to me just when I needed her.
Jean is the angel’s name; she is my mother and idol.
Jono turned into an extremely rebellious teenager. He occasionally did things just to get attention. He did it to divert attention away from his physical attributes, which were the true issue. He tried to win folks over with sweets and copious amounts of wine.
“I felt like I was by myself.”
However, Jono quickly made the decision to be a force for good and use his experience to serve others thanks to Jean’s love and care as well as his own strong spirit.
Jono, who is 36 years old, has dedicated his life to supporting others with Treacher Collins syndrome worldwide. He has been leading adult autistic people’s teams.
He meets kids, offers them encouragement and hope, and has a conversation with their parents about their predicament. At the moment, Jono works as a motivational instructor and frequently discusses Treacher Collins disease.
