At just five years old, Ryder Wells has faced challenges that would overwhelm most adults.
The young boy from North Carolina survived a horrifying attack by two rottweilers during a family Thanksgiving visit in 2015. He was only 21 months old when the dogs attacked, leaving him with devastating injuries: half of his face destroyed, crushed teeth, a broken arm, and a punctured lung. Doctors weren’t sure he would survive.
But survive he did—and then some. Ryder has undergone around 50 surgeries since that day, each one a step toward rebuilding his life and reclaiming his smile. His journey is nothing short of extraordinary.
Yet his battles didn’t end in the hospital. The world can be cruel, and Ryder now faces a different challenge: the harsh reactions of others. Strangers, both children and adults, sometimes react in shock—or worse, cruelty—at his appearance.
“When we go to the park, there’s a child who points and screams ‘monster’ at him before running away,” his mother, Brittany Wells, shared.
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