A young man named Daniel Cressy is the first person in Louisiana to successfully undergo gene therapy for sickle cell disease — and hopefully many others will soon be able to join him. At a press conference at Manning Family Children’s Hospital, Cressy described a two-year journey that culminated in him being declared functionally cured and how that has restored his dreams of becoming a pilot.
Being functionally cured means Cressy will now likely be freed of the excruciating pain and relentless, repeated internal organ damage that comes with the disease. He now has the potential to live a new life free of intense pain, repeat hospitalizations and social stigma. His story should be a beacon of hope for the approximately 100,000 individuals living with sickle cell disease in the United States. But for more people to have access to the same treatments as Cressy, there is much to be done.