Hi, my name is Ella, and I’m writing this as a mum who is trying to protect her little boy’s happiness.

My son Luca is 9 years old. He is a kind, gentle, and well-behaved boy who is doing well in school. He has such a pure heart and always tries his best to be a good friend to others.

But recently, things have changed.

Luca is being bullied on a daily basis because of the appearance of his ears. What started as comments has now become something constant, and it’s slowly taking a toll on him.

We’re seeing the change in him.

He is becoming quieter, more withdrawn, and more self-conscious.

He overthinks how he looks.

He’s starting to lose the confidence he once had so naturally.

As parents, it’s incredibly painful to watch. You want to fix it, to protect them, but you can’t always stop what happens outside your home.

The hardest part is that Luca has now started asking if something can be done to “fix” his ears. This isn’t something we’ve ever pushed — this is coming from him. He just wants the bullying to stop. He just wants to feel like he fits in.

We have looked into options, and while we are exploring the NHS route, we understand that access can be difficult and the waiting times can be long. In the meantime, Luca is facing this every single day, and we don’t want to see his confidence continue to be affected while we wait.

Both myself and my husband work full time, but like many families, the current cost of living makes it impossible for us to fund private consultations, treatment, and surgery on our own.

That’s why we are reaching out, something we never imagined we would do.

We are simply asking for help to give Luca the chance to feel comfortable in his own skin again — to smile freely, to go to school without worry, and to just enjoy being a child.

Any support, no matter how small, would mean the world to us. Even sharing Luca’s story can make a huge difference.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for helping us support our little boy.