About this episode

The episode discusses a groundbreaking treatment that cured a young man's sickle cell disease and explores the implications for future treatments.

Sickle cell is a genetic blood condition that can cause severe pain, extreme tiredness and serious health complications. It mainly affects people of African and Caribbean heritage, and for many, it's something they've had to live with their whole lives. But that could be changing. We meet Daniel Cressy, a young man from Louisiana whose dream is to become a pilot. After years of living with sickle cell, he received a ground-breaking treatment that has effectively cured him. He shares what life was like before and what it's like now to be sickle cell free. We'll also hear from Dr Steven Okoli, who breaks down how these new treatments work and what needs to happen to make them available to more people across the world. Could we be entering a future where sickle cell is no longer a lifelong condition? Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Emma-Louise Amanshia Producers: William Lee Adams and Stefania Okereke Video Producer: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

People in this episode

Host: Emma-Louise Amanshia

Guest: Daniel Cressy

Topics covered

• sickle cell disease
• medical treatment
• healthcare advancements
• personal stories
• genetic conditions

Keywords

• sickle cell
• treatment
• cure
• health complications
• genetic blood condition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC World Service

Places: Louisiana

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