Louisiana’s first sickle cell disease gene therapy patient is now set to pursue his dream of becoming a commercial pilot after receiving curative gene therapy at Manning Family Children’s. A native of Metairie, 23-year-old Daniel Cressy rang the bell June 22, after a more than two-year journey that led him to this life-changing moment.
Sickle cell disease is the most common genetic blood disorder in the world, and Louisiana has more cases of sickle cell disease per capita than any other in the U.S. A debilitating disease that predominantly affects African Americans, sickle cell disease is responsible for shortening the lives of many, while also causing chronic pain and frequent hospitalizations. Now, with recent significant advancements that allow the altering of genetically modified stem cells, many more children and young adults can be treated (and functionally cured), before the disease begins to destroy their organs.
Cressy was diagnosed with sickle cell disease as an infant. He and his family did everything right. He received the best treatments available, worked hard to stay healthy and build a future for himself. But as Cressy grew older, he began experiencing frequent episodes of severe pain. The pain sent him to emergency rooms and hospital beds when he should have been in classrooms and spending time with friends.
He had a dream to become a commercial airline pilot, but found out that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would not consider him because of his sickle cell disease due to medical safety requirements. Unwilling to give up on this dream, in 2023 Cressy appealed to the FAA to see if there was any way they would reconsider. “The answer came back,” said Cressy. “If I could cure my sickle cell disease either through a bone marrow transplant or through gene therapy, then I could become a pilot. Gene editing had just been approved for clinical trials, so I was following the studies closely. When I heard Manning Family Children’s had been granted approval to engage in the process, I began to discuss options with my doctors here.”
Manning Family Children’s is one of a select few programs nationally to now offer both FDA-approved gene altering technologies in collaboration with its medical school partners, LSU Health New Orleans and Tulane University School of Medicine. Ben Watkins, MD, director of the Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapies Program at Manning Family Children’s and Section Chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Tulane Medicine, has helped develop this groundbreaking program.
Cressy has not had a chance to rid himself of his sickle cell disease — until now. After more than two years of preparation and various stages of the treatment journey, he is the first patient in Louisiana and the Gulf South to receive gene editing therapy utilizing Casgevy’s CRISPR/Cas9 technology to modify his hematopoietic stem cells to increase the production of fetal hemoglobin (HbF), which helps prevent the sickling of red blood cells.
In late 2025, his cells were collected from his body, and sent to Scotland where they were genetically modified. The cells were sent back to Manning Family Children’s in March 2026. Cressy was admitted to the hospital’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders where he received chemotherapy treatment to wipe out his sickle cells, and on March 18, his genetically modified cells were infused into his body.
Following about a month of recovering and careful monitoring as an inpatient at Manning Family Children’s, Cressy was discharged in mid-April to continue his recovery as an outpatient with careful monitoring and regular follow-up appointments. Now, three months after his infusion, his hemoglobin levels are the highest they have been in his entire life, and he is working toward achieving his first class medical, which will clear him to pursue his dream of flying.
On June 22, Cressy began a new chapter – one that he likes to call “Life 2” – as he rang the bell. Remarks were offered by Gov. Jeff Landry, Congressman Troy Cater, Mayor Helena Moreno, Tulane President Mike Fitts, LCMC Health CEO Greg Feirn, Manning Family Children’s President and CEO, Lou Fragoso, and Watkins, who serves as Cressy’s physician.