Born with the rare condition Treacher Collins syndrome, Jared had no ears, only earlobes, when he first met with Romo more than a year ago. He’s also mostly deaf and depends on hearing aids.

Once he’s fully recovered, the student at the Union Street School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Hackensack, N.J., should be able to ditch the headband he wears to hold his hearing aids in place.

Jared’s condition is the same one at the center of the recent film “Wonder,” about a 10-year-old boy with Treacher Collins entering fifth grade. The hit movie stars Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay as the boy.