Meet Louisville's real-life 'Wonder' girl

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - It's easy to see Victoria Dicken looks a little different.

"At the least, I've had 20 surgeries to shape my ear to make it look like this," Victoria said.

The 11-year-old, born without ears, has a rare genetic disease called Treacher Collins Syndrome.

The syndrome alters the development of facial bones and can cause breathing issues.

"You know from a parents' standpoint there's a lot of guilt," her mother, Dana Dicken, told us.

Since day one, there were disappointments for Victoria's family.

"The nurse came in and she was asking about the newborn hearing test," Dana recalled. "And we said, 'Yes she needs one,' and her response was, 'I really don't think she does because she's going to fail any way.'"

The nurse could have used a little help from a movie called "Wonder." The film is based off of the best-selling book and has become a box office hit.

"The movie coming out is just great because it can educate," Dana said.

"This helps open up an insight to children with cranial facial anomalies," Dr. Mark Chariker, reconstructive surgeon at Norton Children's Hospital, told us.

The movie is about a boy that also has Treacher Collins.

"They're quite inspirational in how they confront problems in life and day-to-day things that we take for gr anted such as our facial appearance," Dr. Chariker said.

Like in the movie, bullying is common for children with the disease.

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Victoria is used to people staring, but she's not bothered. She's used her many talents, like basketball, as an outlet.

"Even if the times are hard you have to keep your head high," Victoria said.

When asked if there was anything she wanted to change about herself, Victoria told us: "I'm fine with being different, but I would like to be like normal. But, there are actually ups to being deaf, like when someone is annoying the heck out of me, I can turn off my hearing aid."

It's that positive attitude that can be an inspiration to us all.

Victoria and her classmates are going to see "Wonder" this Friday.

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