Louisiana Man Cured of Sickle Cell, Ready to Fly

Daniel Cressy calls it his second birthday. The 23-year-old from Metairie, Louisiana just became the first patient in the Gulf South to be functionally cured of sickle cell disease through gene editing, opening the door to his lifelong dream of flying planes.

"God has given me another life, a new chapter," Cressy said during a celebration at Manning Family Children's Hospital, tears streaming down his face. He's one of more than 100 patients nationwide who have been cured using the first federally approved gene therapies for sickle cell disease.

The journey took two years. Doctors extracted Cressy's stem cells and sent them to a lab in Scotland, where scientists used an enzyme to edit the specific gene causing his red blood cells to sickle. After chemotherapy this spring to receive his newly edited genes, Cressy spent five weeks recovering until his immune system was strong enough to face the world again.

The difference is dramatic. Before treatment, intense exercise would leave him sick and in pain. "Now, I was playing kickball the other day and running like crazy, and I felt fine," Cressy said.

His doctor Ben Watkins confirmed the transformation. "Today, his cells are no longer sickling. Today, his hemoglobin is normal for the first time in his life."

The treatment comes with a hefty price tag of $2.2 million, covered by Louisiana's Medicaid program after initial delays. But for Cressy, it means everything.

In 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration rejected his pilot certification application despite four years without a sickle cell crisis. High altitudes can trigger sickling when oxygen levels drop, creating dangerous pain while flying. The FAA historically hasn't allowed people with sickle cell to receive their pilot's license.

But last year, one of Cressy's friends became the first known person with sickle cell to become a pilot after completing gene therapy. Now Cressy plans to reapply for his medical certification next month, with dreams of eventually flying corporate jets for companies like Gulfstream.

The Ripple Effect

Cressy's success marks just the beginning for Louisiana. About 3,000 people in the state live with sickle cell disease, which almost exclusively affects Black people. The condition evolved as a genetic mutation to protect against malaria in Africa, but inheriting two sickle cell genes causes the painful disorder.

Manning Family Children's Hospital is the only facility in Louisiana approved to administer the gene therapies. Five more patients are currently undergoing treatment, with nine others in the pipeline and at least 56 people completing consultations.

Dr. Watkins says research funding for sickle cell has lagged behind other less common diseases. "Despite its prevalence and severity, sickle cell disease has lived in the shadows," he said. "Too often, the disease has been stigmatized, and the people living with it have been marginalized."

For Cressy, the cure means more than just good health—it's the key to soaring toward his dreams.