Tommy and Grandpa By Erin Hoyt, Rachel Polizzano, Elizabeth Donovan, Kiersten Inkley, and Max Beller

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Tommy.

Tommy and his grandpa were very close. Tommy’s favorite times were sitting down, wide-eyed, listening to his grandpa’s stories.

One day, his parents told him that grandpa was sick and in the hospital. “Can I visit him?” Tommy asked. And so, they made a trip to see grandpa.

Tommy saw grandpa was in the hospital bed and ran to his side. “Grandpa, are you okay?” Grandpa replied, “I’ll be okay my boy! I’m very sick but the doctors are working hard to make me all better.”

“Hi Tommy. I’m your grandpa’s doctor.” The doctor said. “Your parents tell me you’re a really bright boy. Do you want me to tell you about how we’re trying to fix grandpa?” Tommy responded with a big YES.

“Well, a stem cell is a teeny tiny thing that is very special. It can change into something that can do all sorts of jobs, like help make a bone, an eye, or a heart muscle.” Grandpa’s doctor said, pointing to his chest. “A stem cell, when told what to do by a scientist, can be used to replace or fix body parts that are hurt.”

“You can get a stem cell from two places: an embryo or an adult. An embryonic stem cell comes from an embryo, which will one day become a baby, like your baby sister.” Tommy nodded his head. “This embryonic stem cell can make any other kind of cell or tissue. Adult stem cells are found throughout the body but can only repair the place where it came from.”

“Now we can make your grandpa healthy by using stem cell therapy. What that does is help lost or hurt cells by making them better or replacing them. Your grandpa needs his cells to work better so we would inject new ones into him.”

Tommy asked the doctor if getting the embryonic stem cell for grandpa was bad, because wasn’t stealing bad? “Yes Tommy, stealing is bad but this is not stealing. These stem cells would come from parents who do not want them anymore. If we didn’t use them, they would go to waste.” Grandpa’s doctor replied. “Some people might not like embryonic stem cell therapy. Either the embryo is viewed as a person while it is still an embryo, or it is seen as a potential person. It’s tricky.”

Tommy thought about this and then asked, “If grandpa got these stem cells, he would be able to read me to sleep or tell me his stories?” “I hope so. We will have to watch him carefully, but we think he’ll be back at the foot of your bed eventually.”

Tommy remembered seeing a lot of sick people in the rooms on the way to see grandpa. Couldn’t these little things called stem cells cure all of them? He asked the question then out loud and grandpa’s doctor smiled. “Not everyone needs stem cell therapy kiddo and there are many risks involved too.

“Will the stem cells hurt grandpa?” Tommy asked. “Well with any treatment, there’s a possibility of something going wrong but I don’t want you to worry.” Grandpa’s doctor walked over to Tommy’s mom as Tommy went to hold grandpa’s hand. “What could happen?” Tommy’s mom said, with slightly puffy eyes.

“It’s rare for this to happen, but with stem cell therapy being so new, there is a possibility your grandpa could get even sicker. The disease called Graft-versus-host disease is when the stem cells attack the body instead of helping it because they’re foreign, or new.” Grandpa’s doctor paused for a moment. “Teratomas, or tumors, can also form due to stem cell therapy.” When the doctor saw Tommy’s mom’s wide eyes, he comforted her, saying that there are safe and effective ways to prevent both from happening. He would do anything he could to make grandpa better, for the whole family.

The conversation ended, Tommy gave his grandpa a hug, and the family went back home. Over months of waiting for his grandpa to get better, Tommy started seeing progress. His grandpa finally got to stay home permanently, which is great because there are a lot more stories Tommy still needs to hear!

THE END :)