Childhood Disease Shapes Successful Businessman’s Life

Aug 7, 2024

High-energy, sense-of-urgency and philanthropy are hallmarks of Eric Goodman’s journey.

I first came to know Eric Goodman at an industry function and was struck immediately by his enthusiastic “glow” and the pace he maintained. He moved like a man possessed…from person to person and table to table like a cross between The Energizer Bunny and Sonic the Hedgehog. He slowed down only to provide the keynote address for the meeting. To my surprise, he shared much of his personal story in that address, which added even more weight and relevance to everything he said.

He is like a small power plant that gives out more energy than it consumes. That’s why after talking with him, you leave positively inspired. 

Eric was born a scrapper. The son of an entrepreneur, Eric grew up learning that hard work was the path to a successful and fulfilling life. That there were no guarantees, and you created your own opportunities.  However, he couldn’t have expected that his life would face so many obstacles to overcome, especially in his youth.

Challenges with a congenital disease (Scheuermann’s Kyphosis) impacted his growth and skeletal development at an early age.  At three, he was in leg braces to help with his walking and posture. But that was just the start of it. Things were about to get much worse.

“My growth and development was monitored throughout my entire youth,” he says, “When I hit puberty, things went out of control. The bones in my back began to grow in the wrong direction and punctured my left lung. The only course of action was a life-saving surgery that fused my spine. The surgery was successful, but I ended up in a body cast and missed an entire year of school.”

Most young boys at 15 years of age spend their time thinking about sports, girls, hobbies and the beach. Not so when you are lying immobile in a hospital bed, wondering what the next card life is going to deal you.

Eric knew sports was a definite ‘no.’ But what about the other, simple and more meaningful things? Will I be able to walk without crutches? Will I be able to dance? Hike and swim? Can I get out of bed without any help?

The fear and trepidation amidst the waiting weighed heavily on him. But the funny thing about the human brain and body is that it can work to protect and shield you from powerful negative thoughts.

Eric explained, “For much of that year, I simply don’t have a clear memory of it. Likely it was my body’s way of protecting my psyche and sheltering me from things I couldn’t comprehend. Even though my memory of that period is sketchy, I realize that it forever changed who I was and how I viewed the world.”

The surgery was successful, and after implanting two metal rods in his back and fusing his spine together, Eric was able to return to school for the 10th grade. It was far from a “normal” school experience. Every morning, he strapped on a removable 20-pound cast to keep his upper body rigid. Similar in size to today’s bullet proof vest, Eric needed it to immobilize his spine so his healing could continue. Ongoing physical therapy was required to return Eric’s mobility to some normalcy. Learning to walk again was a priority.

High school is a difficult period for most people and is even more so if you carry extra body armor and hobble to and from your classes. Some people might automatically label someone like Eric “unable” because he appeared to be “disabled.” But Eric was ready to prove everyone wrong.

He reflected, “this entire experience impacted the way I approach my life. After losing that year and having to rebuild myself, I realized how precious life, and our time here, really is. You don’t fully appreciate it until it is taken away from you. Today, I approach life as if I’m living on borrowed time. I never put things off. That’s why once I graduated high school, I wanted to get out into the world and prove to everyone that I was I able to excel in life.”

And he has. Starting right out of high school, Eric jumped into life with both feet, becoming a father and husband at age 19. He joined a company in an entry-level sales position and worked his way into senior management, eventually purchasing the company.

“Success is the best revenge in life,” he says. “I encourage kids to become life-long-learners as I have tried to be, and to never let anyone tell them they can’t do something. If I listened to others, I would have never gotten to this point in my life.”

“I haven’t forgotten how fortunate I have been to come back from my disease. That’s why I’ve made it a priority to support and inspire others,” he said.

Eric is completing his 21st year on the board of Ronald McDonald’s House and is involved in seven non-profit organizations.  He continued, “our efforts at Ronald McDonald’s House alone resulted in a capital campaign that generated over $12 million dollars to build the largest house ever. The house features 54 beds and is located directly across the street from the world-famous Loma Linda University Hospital.”

Thousands of families annually benefit from the RMD House in the Inland Empire while their children are treated. Most of those parents are reliving similar worries and concerns that Eric’s parents did years ago as he lay in his hospital bed.  

And hopefully, many of those children are going to write their own story of success and healing, bravely moving forward with the wisdom and grit they gained from their adversity.

Just like Eric.

Source: Personal Interview