Little Ollie Trezise isn’t even 2 years old, but he’s already been subject to more criticism than many of us experience in a lifetime. At just 21 months, Ollie’s not old enough to know what’s going on, but the whispers, gawking stares, and cruel remarks have at times brought his mom Amy to tears.
Amy affectionately refers to her lil’ guy as her “real-life Pinoccho,” and all she wants is to raise awareness about Ollie’s condition and for people to see the big heart that lies behind the big nose that people point at as they call him “ugly.”
The UK Daily Mail reports that one stranger even remarked to Amy that he ‘should never have been born.’
“It’s absolutely heart-breaking,” said the 22-year-old mother. “Once, a woman told me I should never have given birth to him. I nearly burst into tears.
To me, Ollie is perfect. He is my little real-life Pinocchio and I couldn’t be prouder of him,” she said.
She just wants the world to know the happy, courageous boy that he is inside.
Ollie has had to undergo various painful operations due to complications with his nasal passages, but her baby boy couldn’t have been braver about it.
“After the operation, Ollie had a huge zig-zag scar across his head. He must have been in so much pain, but he just kept smiling and laughing,” she said. “His positivity made it so much easier for me.”
Ollie was born with a rare condition called encephalocele, which caused his brain to seep through a crack in his skull and grow out into his nose. Doctors noticed the growth at Amy’s 20-week ultrasound, but she still wasn’t quite prepared for what she saw when he came out.
“When they gave me Ollie to hold, I was so surprised that I almost couldn’t speak,” she told the Daily Mail. “He was so tiny, but there was this enormous golf-ball sized lump on his nose. At first I wasn’t sure how I would cope. But I knew that I would love him no matter what he looked like.”
And now, she wants others to do the same.
So here’s this heartbroken mother’s humble plea for those who see her son:
“I’d much prefer if people asked me why Ollie looks the way he does, rather than just telling me is ugly or pointing and staring,” says Amy.
She doesn’t mind the questions. She wants to educate people. She just doesn’t want the judgment, the criticism, and the hate. And what mother wouldn’t want to protect her son from that?
If you think about it, though his condition is rare, Ollie is quite representative of many other “unique-looking” people in this world who we often stare at or make under-the-breath comments about. If you think those people don’t hear it, they do. So instead of whispering, let’s start a conversation.
His story is such a powerful reminder the value of life, God doesn’t make accidents!
God bless her little “Pinocchio,” for he is certainly precious in His sight. ♥
