23-year-old Daniel Cressy is being celebrated at the pediatric hospital, Manning Family Children’s, in Louisiana after becoming the first person to be cured of sickle cell disease. As part of a select group chosen to have curative gene therapy testing, Cressy was one of close to 100 people to be treated with the method and is now the first to be considered functionally cured of the disease. Cressy officially rang the bell on Monday, June 22.
According to a news release published by Manning Family Children’s, Cressy was initially born with the condition and underwent gene therapy over the span of two years leading up to being cured. Cressy was initially introduced to the concept of gene therapy after learning that he was unable to pursue his dream career of becoming a commercial pilot unless he was able to be treated for sickle cell disease through bone marrow transplant or gene therapy. Soon after doing research, he learned that Manning Family Children’s had been approved for participation in clinical trials.
Despite beginning a life changing medical treatment, Cressy still navigated his day to day as usual. “I would work my overnight job driving 18 wheelers back and forth from New Orleans to Lafayette. During the days I would often focus on my organization, Privileged Pilots, fulfilling customers’ orders or planning for the next conference. Every now and then, I would have a doctor’s appointment preparing for Gene Therapy. But all in all, a lot of work and waiting,” Cressy expressed in an exclusive interview with EBONY.
With Louisiana having the most cases of sickle cell in the country, this healthcare revolution is even more rewarding knowing that it took place in this area. Over 90% of those with sickle cell are of African American descent meaning that the highest concentration of impact and susceptibility is of this community. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 13 African Americans carry sickle cell trait (SCT), which means they are carriers of the gene but do not have the full blown disease.
The news release also revealed that Cressy used CASEGEVY’s CRISPR/Cas9 technology to adjust his stem cells that resulted in the increase the production of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) which helps to pause the sickling of red blood cells in the body. After a lengthy process of sending his cells out of the country to be modified, utilizing chemotherapy to remove the remainder of his sickled cells, and infusing the cells back into his body, Cressy has been able to successfully recover.
Senior Director of Patient Care Services for Manning Family Children’s, Lynn Winifield, MBSA, BSN, RN, CPHON, NEA-BC, explained that funding for curative gene therapy went through an authorization process through the Louisiana Healthcare Connections (LHC). This process began in December 2024 and was not finalized for phasing under May 2025. After receiving approval by LHC, the hospital moved forward with securing funding that would reimburse the institution for the cost of CASEGEVY which was approximately $2.2M. After additional internal negotiations and finalizing a procurement approach, authorization was finalized and the team was able to move forward with patient cell collection and mailing for treatment. Under the CMMI model, this helped to improve the time and efficiency put towards approval.
Now that Cressy’s health is entering a new chapter of his health journey, he can resume his professional pursuit becoming a commercial pilot and pour deeper into his organization, Privileged Pilots, which helps to support others in following their dreams despite life circumstances.
“I hope to build this organization so that we have recurring corporate and government sponsors that fund our mission: helping others receive this care by providing funding to get back and forth to doctor’s appointments, assisting the patients while they are going through the therapy, and assisting them post therapy. To go even further, we aim to host blood drives, donate care packages that are full of hope and essentials for the families, and eventually fund these patients’ dreams and ambitions. We are also in the midst of writing a children’s illustrative book called “A Blessing in The Skies” which encapsulates the entire journey I had to undertake.