On a Monday morning in New Orleans, 23-year-old Daniel Cressy rang a ceremonial bell inside Manning Family Children's hospital and stepped into what he calls "Life 2" — a life free of sickle cell disease for the first time.

Cressy, a resident of Metairie, Louisiana, is the first person in the US Gulf Coast region to be functionally cured of the genetic blood disorder using Casgevy's CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology. The milestone, reached on June 23, marks a turning point for a disease that has long devastated Black communities — and for a young man who refused to let a diagnosis ground his ambitions.

The two-year path to a cure

Cressy had wanted to fly commercial jets since childhood, but the Federal Aviation Administration would not consider licensing him because of his sickle cell diagnosis. The disorder, which predominantly affects African Americans, can cause chronic pain, organ damage, and life-threatening complications at high altitudes.

When the FAA told him a cure could open the door, Cressy pursued gene-editing therapy. The process took two years. In late 2025, doctors collected cells from his body and shipped them to Scotland for genetic modification. The modified cells returned in March 2026, and Cressy was admitted for chemotherapy to eliminate his remaining sickle cells, followed by infusion of the CRISPR-edited cells.

After a month of inpatient recovery and monitoring, his medical team — led by Dr. Ben Watkins, director of stem cell transplant and cellular therapies at the hospital and section chief of pediatric hematology-oncology at Tulane University School of Medicine — declared him sickle cell free.

A bell, a book, and a plane

Louisiana produces more sickle cell cases per capita than any other US state, making Cressy's cure a deeply symbolic victory for the region. The bell-ringing ceremony drew New Orleans mayor Helena Moreno, US Representative Troy Carter, and Louisiana governor Jeff Landry alongside Cressy's family and care team.

"While many spend their lives searching for purpose, mine found me," Cressy said. "Now, instead of looking for meaning, I can spend my life fulfilling it."

He is writing a book titled Blessing in the Skies and runs the Privileged Pilots Project, a nonprofit expanding access to aviation and healthcare for those facing medical and economic barriers. With sickle cell behind him, Cressy can now pursue the FAA medical clearance needed for a commercial pilot license.

A growing map of CRISPR firsts

Cressy joins a growing list of sickle cell patients cured through gene therapy since the FDA approved Casgevy and Lyfgenia in December 2023. In 2024, 21-year-old Sebastien Beauzile became New York's first; earlier this year, 24-year-old Chantez Sanford Jr. became Michigan's first using Lyfgenia. Each bell rung represents not just a personal victory but a data point proving these therapies work — and a step toward making them accessible beyond academic hospitals and wealthy patients.

"What Daniel has achieved embodies overcoming what seemed impossible," the hospital said. "Curative gene therapy is restoring futures."

Sources: The Guardian, Capital B News