01x04 - Here Comes Hailey

[bunniefuu]

[narrator]
At Marvel, our stories and our superheroes

are inspired by real-life heroes.

So, the editors of some of
our best-known comics

have come together
to work on a special project:

to find and tell the stories of kids
doing the extraordinary,

helping communities near and far,

and changing the world.

These are the kids who will inspire
our stories for years to come.

[Hailey] There's nothing to cure
Alzheimer's disease,

but there are ways to cope with it.

We have another person
who solved a puzzle!

It's the best feeling ever to, like,
have somebody know that you care.

[narrator] Hailey is already a hero.

Now, we bring her story to the world

with the surprise of a lifetime:

making her into a Marvel superhero

immortalized in her very own comic

as a member of Marvel's Hero Project.

They're everyday kids...

who have accomplished the amazing.

Now, their true stories...

will reveal the heroes that live among us.

This is Marvel's Hero Project.

[woman] I think she'd be into it.

Yeah!

[man] Hailey is a real hero
in her own right.

It's exciting to talk about her
as part of the Marvel Hero Project.

We have Marvel heroes
that are out there saving the universe,

but we've also got these heroes
who work closer to home.

That made me think of Hailey.

-Oh, yeah!
-[woman] Oh, yeah.

She has this grandmother with Alzheimer's.

Alzheimer's affects millions of people
around the world,

and she found a way to help her
with these puzzles.

Yeah.

And that's the genius, really, of Hailey,

is that she saw something small
that she could do,

and the genius is that we can all do it.

And it's almost like this, sort of,
telepathic connection that they have.

-Yeah, it's kinda like Jean Grey, right?
-[woman] Absolutely. Yeah.

It is that ability to connect
with another person

and that simple solution that really is
rooted in love and rooted in just touch.

I'll see your Jean Grey
and I'll raise you Captain America

in the way that
she's bridging generations.

-Oh, yeah. Yeah.
-Yes.

'Cause Cap goes from the '40s
to the present day.

I think a lot of problems in our society
would be solved

if the generations talked to each other
and understood each other.

She just sees that everyone's a person

no matter what generation they're from
or what background they have.

Her grandmother's a lot like Aunt May,
right?

It's like Peter Parker and Aunt May
and that very special bond that they have.

And how Peter Parker
will do everything for Aunt May.

That is exactly Hailey, like,
she will do everything,

and not only will she do everything
for her grandmother,

she also wants to make sure

that she's allowing other kids to be able
to do the same for their loved ones.

[piano playing]

You're good!

I try. I try. I wish I could.

It's okay. You don't have to.

I have the will,
but I don't have the able.

I'm not able to do it.

You did good. It's okay.

I love spending time with my grandma.

It's my favorite thing to do in the world
'cause we like to do the same stuff.

She is my best friend.

She was also my first friend.

Oh, it's warm.

-[Hailey] Mm-hmm.
-It's nice.

-[Hailey] Mm-hmm.
-It's warm.

-[Hailey] Mm-hmm.
-It's nice.

[Hailey] Yeah.

[woman] When I first had to explain
Grandma's diagnosis to Hailey,

I just told her she has a brain disease
that makes her forget.

[grandmother]
You're very gentle. You're very kind.

-[Hailey] So are you.
-[grandmother] Very kind.

Somebody else would do such a rough job.

They'd scream, "Ma!"

Okay.

-You do a very nice job. Thank you.
-You're welcome.

Please call again. Don't be shy.

[Hailey] I won't.

I used to walk her around here
and everything in a carriage.

Now...

[Hailey] Grandma used to feed me
when I was little...

and now I'm her caretaker.

This is beautiful.

[Hailey] It makes me feel
when I make her smile,

that she's having happiness,
and she deserves happiness.

[Ruth] Emma, you amaze me.

You really do, my love.

[Hailey] My grandmother calls me
my mom's name, Emma, a lot.

My mom told me I should go into her world.

I know it's hard for all people
to go into their world at first,

but now I'm pretty fine with it.

I love you, Grandma.

I have half of me as Hailey
and then half of me as Emma in her world.

The fighting, that's definitely
a harder thing of the illness.

One time I was trying to get her
into her nursing home, and she said,

"Get away from me!
I never want to see you again."

And then she'd smack me.

And I started crying 'cause I felt like,

"Where's the old grandma
that would comfort me?"

She was such a kind person,
she wouldn't wanna fight.

And if she was normal and needed help
she would say, "Go ahead."

Put your hat on. Go put your hat on.

[man] We just have to remind Hailey

this is not the real Grandma
that you and I know and love.

This is the disease
rearing its head and coming out.

And you just have to take a step back

and regroup yourself and just say,

"Okay, there's always
going to be another good day."

Take my hands and pull me up.

-But I can't. I'm not strong enough.
-That's enough.

-That's--
-Just agree.

Okay!

[Hailey] There's nothing to cure it,
but there are ways to cope with it.

[chuckles]

Every stage of the disease,

you can be present for the person.

Let's start doing this puzzle.

I remember the first time
I ever did a puzzle with my grandma,

I was four years old.

It was a way for us to connect.

And I remember sitting with her
on her rocking chair,

and we were just
putting the pieces together.

And it was so fun, and she was so happy.

[Emma] She has inspired her friends
all around her.

It's infectious.

I was like, "Wouldn't this be cool if,
like, other people could do it?"

Welcome to Puzzle Time.

So, thank you all for coming here
to volunteer today and to--

I'm gonna give you a little--

Some tips about the puzzle
and what to do with your senior.

So, Puzzle Time is an organization
I founded.

Yay! And it's basically something
where people can go

and they solve puzzles for an hour
of fun puzzle timing activities.

Remember to just not try to solve
the puzzle on your own and include them

'cause it's teamwork.

And while they're solving puzzles,
they can connect with the seniors.

They're connecting friendship
and puzzle pieces.

[chattering]

[girl] Hi! Where shall we sit?

[Hailey]
The way I started getting the idea was

'cause I remember we would
drop puzzles off at facilities

and I would think to myself,

"Those puzzles should get used,
not just go there."

[chattering]

[woman]
Alzheimer's can be extremely isolating

which also then the symptoms of dementia
become worse.

Having Hailey and her friends come in

and truly kind of
opening their world for that hour

is really, really special.

[Hailey] Look, look, look.

What a team. [laughs]

I think the seniors
get short-term memories back,

and it exercises their brain.

But besides from the brain facts,
they get joy.

It's joy to feel, 'cause, you know,
everybody loves kids.

All seniors love kids. They're like, "Aw!"
It's like a movie star.

Kids are like movie stars to seniors,
so they get joy about that,

and I feel like
they get to be young again.

It's really fun to help people

and that they really like it,
and I really like it too.

That feeling of being
next to somebody and,

"Oh, this person really wants to be
next to me too," is--

It's priceless.

-Do you want to put the last piece in?
-[senior] Yeah, sure.

[Hailey] Good job!

We have another person
who solved a puzzle!

Puzzle Time's pretty new.

It's like a baby organization right now.

But Sofiya-- We're gonna wanna start one
'cause she goes to Russia over the summer.

So she is going to be
a Puzzle Time ambassador in Russia.

I have a friend
and he's gonna start it in Japan,

which is gonna be cool.

Seniors everywhere who have Alzheimer's
disease can benefit from puzzles.

[senior] Terrific!

You are terrific too!

So I want thousands of people
to become Puzzle Time ambassadors

so then Puzzle Time can get everywhere.

Exercise your brain.

It's very good. Very good.

[Hailey] Awesome job.

You were so happy.

[Ruth] Who's that?

[Emma] A friend of yours.

[Hailey] Is that Grandma?

[Emma] This is Grandma.

-That's Grandma's sister.
-[Hailey] Grandma, look. That's you.

[Emma] She was very pretty.

One of the toughest things is seeing that
they've lost, like, all their memories.

This is Mary.

Yeah. Mary.

Yeah. Your sister, Mary.

-[Ruth] Look at--
-That's you.

[Emma] She was a woman in the air corps
like Rosie the Riveter.

She took photographs.

She traveled everywhere.

-She had a very rich, exciting life.
-[Hailey] Look at Grandma!

-[Hailey] Whoo!
-[Emma] Whoo! Ooh la la!

That's the sad part because she won't be
able to sit down and share her past.

-That's you. Wow! She's pretty.
-[Emma] Yeah.

Who's that? I can't think of her husband.

I think it's Grandpa.
No, that's Grandpa Jules.

This is Daddy.

He's so happy.

-This is your husband.
-[Hailey] We're getting to the good stuff.

-Let's see what she says.
-Why's he so happy?

[Emma] He's married to you!

-[Ruth] But he's happy.
-[Emma] Yes.

[Hailey] She's 94 years old,

and each day I see her
she gets kind of weaker.

I think you may have taken
some of these pictures from World w*r II.

Hailey always wants people to feel
that they're not alone...

and I worry a lot about the fact that
this can be an emotional drain for her.

[Ruth] Has this...

Sometimes there's only so much
you can store

in that little secret room

where she can just put all her sadness.

[Hailey] At first, when my Grandma got it,

I would have nightmares
every single night.

I would just wake up
in the night screaming,

because it was so worrying to me.

Like, is she gonna fall? Is she gonna die?

I've had nightmares
that I've had Alzheimer's disease

and people have forgotten about me
and I forgot about them.

And it just makes me
so overwhelmed sometimes.

I like to imagine that somewhere
deep inside her heart

it's still the same Grandma,

but she's trying to escape and
the Alzheimer's is not letting her escape.

Kind of like a jail.

I remember I was researching
support groups for kids.

And we would see
support groups for adults,

support group for this,
but none that would have kids in it.

So I was like, "Why don't I become
the first support group for kids?"

So Kid Caregivers is
an organization that I created.

I'm the founder of it.

It's an online support group for kids
that gives tips, ideas and suggestions

to kids who are dealing with loved ones
with Alzheimer's disease.

So that's when I first came up with
my Kid Caregivers e-mail address

so people can ask me their experiences.

So, like,
I could talk to kids from my blog.

There are millions of people,

I think 1.8 million kid caregivers
around the world.

I can kind of connect with those kids.

I know a few people came up to me saying,

"I just want to know
what you're doing is really good

and it makes my kid feel good
that he's not alone."

Didn't you come up with an idea last time

about how Grandma helped you
with your Spanish?

-[Hailey] We were in the car...
-[Emma] Right.

[Hailey] ...and she discovered
my Spanish cards which were left there.

And she just kept reading them
over and over again

because she has dementia, so she
doesn't know that she already read them.

And it actually kind of helped me.

She said, "Mexico, Mexico City,
Mexico, Mexico City."

And she just kept flipping the card,
'cause she would forget that,

so then she'd be like,
"Oh, I never said this one!"

So it just kept repeating
until I would take the cards away

and would be, like, no more Spanish.

No more!

[Emma] This is actually a very cool idea
that you came up with.

Thank you.

It's one of the worst behaviors that
I've noticed, is the constant repeating.

And a lot of times people
lose patience with it.

So, we're looking at the glass
as half full instead of half empty.

[Hailey] Agreed.

Because there's many times where
you do feel like the glass is half empty

when it's Alzheimer's,

but now you can actually feel good.

I like this one of Grandma.

-Oh, that's so cool. Sure!
-Grandma, smile.

[Emma] Aw. I love them.

The weird thing is
hardships actually build character.

Hailey has had
a lot of things on her plate,

and it's turned her
into a very empathetic,

very caring person.

I used to be less confident
and a little more shy.

I think I've learned that I'm very strong.

Ma, do you like it?

-Delicious.
-[Emma] It's delicious, right?

[Lee] I look at what Hailey has done.

It gives her a sense of purpose.

She understands good work ethic,
that not everything good is easy.

You have to really work really hard at it.

And she sees the fruits of her labor.

[Ruth] Oh, she's a doll.

I wanna find a cure
for Alzheimer's disease.

I want to tell every kid
they're not alone.

And I want to start Puzzle Time
throughout the world.

-You press that and look into that.
-[Emma] Okay. All right.

[Emma] Ready?

-[camera clicks]
-[Emma] Aw.

That's gonna be a really special one.

This is the bittersweet part.

If Mom were able to understand,

Mom would want Hailey
to inspire other kids,

and would be so proud of her.

This is me and you.

Yeah.

All seniors around the world
who have Alzheimer's disease

can benefit from puzzles.

And it makes me feel good,
because I was the one who started this

and now all these people are doing it.

Hailey is such a sweet girl.

And what is so incredible about her
is this idea of human connection

and how powerful that is,

and how we have to make sure
that we preserve it.

Telling Hailey's story

is all about highlighting what she does
with interpersonal connection.

And so, making Hailey's comic
was all about telling that story.

Um, and oddly enough, I feel like

making a comic book story is very similar
to what Hailey has been doing,

which is making a puzzle
in order to preserve those connections.

In this particular case,

you know, we had that challenge,
once again,

of a power that wasn't physical.

But we had to find a way to show it
in a way that was still--

That played to the visual language
of comics.

So we pulled from this idea
of the connections that she makes,

found that pink glow,

and that's when you know
that her power is working.

Of course, we started out here

with the connection
between her and her grandmother,

but how it extends to other people.

-It grows.
-It grows.

To all of the people in her community.

And, of course, ending in sort of
the most important relationship

which is her and her grandmother.

Her first friend, her best friend.

We brought one of Marvel's top editors,
Ralph Macchio,

-in to write the story.
-That's right.

He was an editor at Marvel for a decade on
classic runs, on Daredevil, on Iron Man.

Uh, to really tell her story in a way
that's visually exciting and emotional.

We are actually going to give her
her comic for the first time,

um, at the place where it all began.

A place where she volunteers,
an Alzheimer's facility.

And she's gonna be surrounded
by all of her fellow Kid Caregivers,

her friends and family.

Hopefully we'll be able to celebrate her
in the way that she deserves.

Did you see the note that, unfortunately,
her grandmother's not able to be there?

Yeah, but I'm sure Hailey is going to
show her this story soon

and read it with her.

And hopefully her grandmother's
gonna love it too.

I know you think you're here
for a regular Puzzle Time session,

but we are actually here
to give you a surprise.

Yay!

And say how thankful we are for you
and all of your friends.

And how incredible, really,
this program has been.

So we wanted to give you
a little thank-you

on behalf of all of the residents
and our team here.

So this is a puzzle for you.

Oh, my God.

And it's a picture
with our lovely residents.

So you can always remember us.

Oh, my God. Thank you so much.

Of course! And now,

your mother's gonna say a few words.

I think you're amazing.
And I wanna share something with you.

"Dear Hailey,

the people in this room are here
because of you.

You have taught them and so many others

that connecting to a loved one is possible

regardless of the circumstances.

You are changing the world
piece by piece."

Thank you, Mom.

[Emma] "And you stand for everything

that makes a Marvel superhero.

Like Jean Grey of the X-Men,

you have the ability to connect
emotionally with those around you,

and you do so selflessly.

There is a box in front of you.

When you open it,

you'll become a founding member
of a new, elite group of kids

who are making the world a better place."

Yay!

"Hailey, welcome to
the Marvel Hero Project."

Yay!

[Emma] "You're not a Marvel hero

until you put on
your very own custom jacket.

We hope you wear it as a badge of honor.

To show you how much
we appreciate your remarkable work,

we are donating in your honor

to an organization that helps people
living with cognitive impairment

in the amount of $10,000."

Oh, my God. Thank you so much.

"And now, in the box,
you'll find an instant collector's item.

Watch out, world,
Here Comes Hailey number one."

Take it out!

-Oh, my God!
-[Emma] "All of us,

the mighty Marvel Bullpen,

have worked overtime to produce
a one-of-a-kind comic book.

Hailey, this is your story.

Aw.

We hope you see yourself
in its pages as the way you are:

a true superhero."

Thank you.

So proud of you.

"Your friends at Marvel."

Thank you so much.

It makes me feel, like, so flattered.

I feel so awesome that
they would call me a superhero.

It's so awesome
and I just love it so much.

Very cool.

-I love it. Oh, my God.
-I love it too.

This is so awesome.

I mean, I'm speechless.

It means a lot to us that Marvel made our
daughter one of their elite superheroes.

It's a very precious memory
that I'm just going to cherish forever.

Very cool jacket.

I wonder if I can fit into it.

Oh, my God. Look at this badge.

This is so awesome!

These are all the people
that Hailey helps.

Look, there's Hailey's mother.

[senior] That's the grandmother,
is it? Yeah.

[girl] Mm-hmm. That's the grandmother.

-The whole family.
-Mm-hmm.

It's very nice. Very good.

It truly gives her an incentive
to even go further.

It also reinforces the fact that
doing things not just for yourself,

but for other people,

is a lot more rewarding in the end.

[chattering]

[Hailey] Oh, it's showing
when I'm doing the superpower!

[boy] Oh, it's like
when you're doing the puzzles.

You're, like, using your powers
to get everyone connected.

[Hailey] Yeah, and then
everybody gets the power.

And then, if you turn it to this page,
you see my hand.

She could connect with people
who have Alzheimer's.

And she knows how to, like, talk to them.

I loved how, like, it would be pink
when I would be helping people.

I noticed an observation that it would be
pink when everybody was connecting.

And I loved how on the cover
I was holding my hand

and it was a picture of me
and a puzzle piece

and Grandma on the other one.

I want to show it to Grandma.

Grandma, look what I got today.

It's me. Look. It's me.

Oh!

Do you wanna read it. Let's open it.

"My name is Hailey Richman."

See, it shows me. That's me.

Yes, I know.

And we're doing the puzzle-solving
that we usually do together

that makes you so happy.

How did you make this?

I didn't make it. But some people,
very nice, made it for me.

From Marvel.

It's so good to see you, Emma.

[Hailey]
And then, look, that's you! Then--

Oh! [chuckles]

[Hailey] It means so much to me,

'cause even if one day
Grandma's not here no longer,

I'll still have this memory
to look back and be like,

this is what me and Grandma did together.

Here, I wanna show you something else.

Oh, it is beautiful.