We’ve been telling you the story of 8-year-old Alex Bruorton from Sherwood for several weeks.
His condition made him the target of bullies at school, so he got some burly buddies to back him up.
Today he and his group of friends in Bikers Against Child Abuse all got to see the movie "Wonder," and Alex got to meet a new special friend.
"I'm hoping it'll be an impactful movie and I hope all kids and families come to see it so they can understand what it's like from the other side,” said Moose, a member of Bikers Against Child Abuse.
Bruorton is on a mission to change the way you view differences and has been waiting to see this newly released film for a year now.
“The kid in 'Wonder' reminds me of me,” he said.
Wonder follows a fifth-grader named Auggie who's a little different on the outside. He teaches his classmates and community the valuable lesson of compassion and acceptance.
“There's a lot of people in the world that are different just like the kid in the movie. Like perhaps me, I have CLOVES,” Bruorton said.
CLOVES is the rare syndrome the second grader has. The syndrome is a very rare congenital disorder characterized by a combination of vascular, skin, spinal and bone or joint abnormalities, according to Boston Children's Hospital's website.
Asher, his new friend, also has experienced bullying at school.
“The kids are the key to this whole thing. Parents need to teach their kids, if they see someone getting picked on, to stand up for them,” Moose said.
Bruorton doesn’t want to spoil the movie for anyone, but gives it five stars. His favorite part?
“When he wanted to hide from everybody, but then made a ton of friends. All his friends would be these bikers,” he said.
And in case you need any more convincing, Asher said Wonder is the best movie he's ever seen.
“What I like most about it is that the bullying at least stops. Because I’ve been bullied before and it’s kind of bad,” Asher said.
"Wonder" is based on a New York Times Best Seller and has grossed $9.6 million since opening Friday.