Maryland Mom May Be Cured of Sickle Cell Disease

Jessica Ceja watched a pale pink bag of stem cells drip into her arm at the University of Maryland Medical Center, surrounded by her husband and care team. These were her own cells, transformed in a lab with the power to cure her sickle cell disease after 41 years of pain.

The Silver Spring mother of three has lived with the disease since she was a toddler in El Salvador. Gene mutations caused her red blood cells to become misshapen and block blood flow, leading to years of emergency room visits and permanent damage to her body.

The new treatment, called Lyfgenia, was approved by the FDA in 2023. Doctors harvest a patient's stem cells, genetically modify them, and reintroduce them into the bone marrow to produce healthy red blood cells.

"No more pain episodes, strokes, damage to organs, necrosis of joints — all of it, hopefully," said Dr. Jean Yared, the hematologist treating Ceja. The manufacturer reports 90 percent of patients no longer experience major pain episodes up to 18 months after treatment.

Sickle cell disease affects about 100,000 people nationwide, most often those of African descent. Maryland has the fifth-highest number of cases in the nation, with about 5,000 people living with the condition.

The process wasn't easy. Ceja traveled four times since last May for multiday stays to collect enough stem cells. She endured high-dose chemotherapy to clear diseased cells, leaving her extremely fatigued and vulnerable to infection.

The treatment costs between 2 million and 3 million dollars, though patients' bodies won't reject their own cells like they might with traditional transplants. So far, just over 100 people across the country have received this therapy.

Why This Inspires

Ceja first learned about the procedure while working as a patient liaison at Children's National Hospital, where she watched a 12-year-old Maryland patient receive the same treatment. That moment sparked hope for her own future.

Dr. Edward Donnell Ivy, who has his own sickle cell disease, called the therapies an important new tool. He emphasized the need to ensure patients and doctors know about these options and that access remains within reach.

The University of Maryland Medical Center is now among dozens of sites approved to offer this groundbreaking treatment. More people living with pain finally have a path to relief.