INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — On the heels of the hit movie Wonder, a Riley doctor speaks out and says "Yes, I'm like Auggie."
Auggie Pullman is the star of the film which ranked third at the box office over the weekend. The movie follows 10-year-old Auggie as he faces bullying at school and in life. Auggie is a target because he has facial abnormalities due to an inherited condition called Treacher Collins Syndrome.
It's the same condition, pediatrician Dr. Michael Goodman has.
He knows the struggles firsthand. He read the book Wonder and saw the movie soon after it was released.
"I've gone through about 75 percent of the things depicted…and I think it's a very good representation of what I have faced and what other kids have faced," Goodman said.
The movie pushes a message of kindness. It sparks conversations about differences. It created an environment where Goodman felt compelled to do something he hadn't done before. He publicly addressed his own diagnosis. He created a Facebook post with two pictures.
In his post, Goodman introduces himself as a doctor, a hockey fan and a person living with the same syndrome as Auggie.
"It took me to like my mid- to late-20s to really get comfortable in my own skin because earlier in my life I would have never made a post like that," Goodman said.
The post has thousands of shares, hundreds of kind comments. "The response was overwhelming it really blew me away," Goodman said.
There are also some cruel ones, blasting Goodman's appearance.
"It's your choice whether it affects you or not. I didn't do that Facebook post for me that was not about me that was about helping the Auggies out there."
Goodman, 37, was born in Munster, Indiana and grew up in Valparaiso with his parents and sister. He graduated from IU School of Medicine and just last month returned to Indiana to practice at IU Health Riley Hospital for Children. It's where every day he builds up his confidence to enter a new patient room and introduce himself.
"Honestly each new family I walk into here is sort of getting out of my comfort zone. You never know what a family is going to say," he explained. "I think people make falsely that if you see someone that has a facial difference that automatically means their intelligence is below normal or they might have mental retardation or some sort of cognitive or intellectual disability, that is not always true."
Throughout school Goodman says he could see the stares and hear the whispers. It eroded his self-esteem and often would look down to escape. "You get really, really good at looking at the floor because that is where you can hide out in public is by looking at the floor," Goodman said.
The abuse gradually culminated his high school senior year when Goodman says he sought a permanent escape and attempted suicide twice.
"Thankfully that is over and it was a horrible thing to go through but it is over now and it's almost 20 years in the past," he said.
Now Goodman is finding purpose. He's glad he spoke out. Every day, he is showing parents and patients what's possible.
"I've met people who are defined by their condition and that is all they talk about and that is all they are ever going to be. You get one shot at life right and I think it is up to yourself to sort of make the most of it."
"Wonder" has a happy ending. Auggie learns you can't blend in when you were born to standout.
But the responses to Dr. Goodman's post reveal real life is messier than Hollywood. Though he's an adult, and accomplished doctor, he's still targeted. The cyber bullies’ cruel comments are no different from those he's had to silence in his mind, his entire life.
"It's your choice whether it affects you or not," Goodman said. "You can be different, but you can also be respected."