‘I just want to be a child again’: Boy overcomes rare condition through stem cell transplant

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE/Gray News) - A boy from Gulfport, Mississippi, is dreaming big after receiving what doctors call a lifesaving stem cell transplant.

Peyton Stewart is an 11-year-old with big dreams. One of them is to play in the NBA. It’s a dream the staff at Manning Family Children’s hospital quickly learned about when Stewart arrived there in 2024 suffering from a rare mutation called STAT1 gain-of-function.

“At that time, we didn’t know the cause of it. We knew his red blood cells were getting destroyed, but we didn’t know why,” said Dr. Benjamin Watkins, pediatric hematology oncologist at Manning Family Children’s Hospital.

Stewart’s doctor said the condition caused his immune system to attack his own red blood cells, and his only hope for a cure was a bone marrow transplant. Stewart’s older brother, Acie, was a match for the procedure. Their mom worried.

“It touched my heart to see the siblings pull together like that, and I was nervous during the process because I had two children going through something at the same time,” said Laurie Stewart, Peyton Stewart’s mother.

During the six months Peyton Stewart spent at the hospital, he seemingly won over everybody, including its CEO, who found himself going one-on-one with the aspiring hooper.

“Somewhere along the way, he stopped being a kiddo I visited in the hospital, and he became my buddy. We played basketball, me not very well, so he taught me a lot,” said Lucio Fragoso, president and CEO of Manning Family Children’s Hospital.

On Thursday (Oct. 1), the hospital held a special bell ringing ceremony exactly one year after Peyton underwent the life-changing transplant. With a basketball hoop, brass band and a room full of hospital staff, Peyton rang the bell celebrating his so-called “re-birthday.”

Sitting just a few feet from the second line, Stewart’s grandmother Yvonne Hill thought of just how far he has come and what he said when he was sick.

“He said, ‘I just want to be a child again...I want to go to school,’” said Hill.

When Peyton took the podium during the ceremony, he thanked the brother that made the moment possible.

“Acie, thank you for being brave and helping me get better. I love you,” he said.

There weren’t many dry eyes among the people who took care of him.

“Thank you for helping me through the hard days and giving me reasons to smile. You held my mom too and made us feel like family,” Peyton told the hospital staff.

Peyton’s doctor said his immune system is now healthy, and there’s not much holding him back. He told the crowd he’s ready to take a shot at his new life.

“Today, ringing this bell means I get to look forward to being home, playing basketball and following my dreams, including becoming the future CEO of Manning Family Children’s Hospital, only after my NBA career, of course,” he said.

Stewart’s father, Christopher Stewart, said he feels fortunate his son now has the possibility of pursuing dreams.

“He’s obsessed with the NBA. I’m hoping for a CEO, but chances are it’s going to be the NBA,” he said.

Whatever path Peyton chooses, he’ll have support from the home team.

“He’s just full of life, and I just love to see him just be him. I just love it,” said Stewart’s grandmother.