After 23 years living with sickle cell disease, Daniel Cressy just rang the bell—making history as the first person in Louisiana to be functionally cured through this groundbreaking gene therapy at Manning Family Children’s! This transformational cure isn’t just ending years of pain, but it is also putting him back in the cockpit, making possible his dream of becoming a pilot.
Using his own blood stem cells—genetically modified so his body now makes healthy hemoglobin that doesn't sickle—our Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders expert care team brought a cure found at only a handful of centers nationwide, home to Louisiana. About 100 days ago, Daniel received his gene therapy infusion. Today, his cells are no longer sickling, and his blood is normal for the first time in his life.