Exclusive: Growing up, George Mann was told that superheroes were his cousins. There was Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, and George Mann. So, he always assumed that one day, he would be a superhero too.
He’s been collecting comics since the third grade, and recalls watching one of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies nearly every day as a kid. Fast-forward to now and at 20 years old, Mann has made the most unlikely of dreams come true.
As a medical student with limited free time, George Mann has decided to dedicate what he can to helping brighten the days of sick kids. George Mann
As a third-year medical student based in Queensland, Mann leads a not-so-secret double life.
Monday to Friday, he’s at university studying to be a paediatric surgeon. Outside of that, well, he’s Dr. Spider-Man.
It all started when he saw a Spider-Man mask advertised for sale on social media. With a little bit of begging, his sister eventually agreed to buy it for him as a Christmas gift. Then he had an idea.
His plan was simple: wear a white coat over his Spider-Man suit and visit kids in the hospital to help brighten their day.
He initially thought he would wait until he started placement, but when he found himself with some spare time at the start of the year, he decided to jump in.
“I rang up my local hospital in Mackay. I did that nearly every day for about two weeks until they said yes,” he recalls.
His goal is to bring a little bit of laughter and hope to kids and their families going through a tough time, explaining that it’s an important part of the treatment process.
“Medicine is a very multifactorial process. And if you can just try and have that positive mindset towards medicine, that’s going to make you feel a lot better, even if it’s just through a bit of placebo,” Mann tells nine.com.au.
“It helps the kids but also the families, too. Because when a child’s suffering in a family, it’s not just the child that suffers; it’s everyone.
Hi visits children’s hospitals as Dr. Spider-Man, often bringing gifts of toys, books and sometimes even video game consoles. George Mann
“If I can try and put a smile on the kid’s face for even 10 minutes, I notice that takes a lot of pressure off the family and makes them a lot happier, too.”
He’s been visiting hospitals as Dr. Spider-Man for about six months now, and in that time he’s noticed how much more open the kids are with the character than they are with doctors or nurses.
He says his goal is not only to try and put a smile on everyone’s face, but also to help ease the intimidation of being in a hospital so that the kids he interacts with grow up with a positive relationship to healthcare.
“A hospital can just be a very, very scary place. And the last thing I want is for them to then grow up and have a fear of medicine and receiving healthcare treatment … stuff like that carrying on throughout their lives can be really detrimental to their health,” he says.
“So, that’s my goal: to try and go in there, try and distract them from what they’re going through, so they can start to build a positive relationship with healthcare at a young age.”
Much like Peter Parker himself, Mann is balancing a double life. He’s at university from eight to five every weekday, working at Bunnings on the weekends, managing a growing social media career, and being Dr. Spider-Man.
While he knows life is just going to get busier, he hopes that Dr. Spider-Man becomes a permanent part of his career. George Mann
Currently, he’s only three years into his six-year degree. With hopes to soon grow his Dr. Spider-Man social media presence, Mann plans to make time for Dr. Spider-Man for the rest of his degree and hopefully into his professional career.
“I’m hoping that it can stay with me for the rest of my life,” he says.
“The “Doctor” part of the name is also part of the costume, so I’d love to, when I graduate, be officially a Dr Spider-Man. I’d love to just continue trying to do this for the rest of my life.”