Stem Cell Treatment Rids One Man of Sickle Cell: WATCH
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Sickle cell disease, which affects about 100,000 Americans, is a group of genetic disorders that cause red blood cells to become hard and sticky, taking on the form of a sickle, according to the CDC.
When these cells travel through small blood vessels, they can get stuck, causing pain, infection, and stroke.
Now for the first time, an Alabama man named Lynndrick Holmes, 29, of Mobile is free of sickle cell disease after receiving gene therapy for 2 years as part of a clinical trial according to Web MD.
Holmes says he feels “amazing” after taking part in a study at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD.
“Sickle cell is like a stalker — you don’t know when he’s watching or what he’s planning,” says Holmes. “But now I feel amazing. I feel incredible.”
