---
title: "First Louisiana Child Cured of Sickle Cell in New Orleans"
url: https://www.hereneworleans.com/2026/10/27/teen-first-louisiana-child-cured-sickle-cell-gene-therapy/
date: 2026-10-27T04:32:57-05:00
modified: 2026-10-27T04:32:57-05:00
author: "Daniela Barnes"
categories: ["Health"]
site: "HERE New Orleans"
attribution: "HERE New Orleans"
---

# First Louisiana Child Cured of Sickle Cell in New Orleans

> NEW ORLEANS, La. — A 15-year-old patient from Alexandria rang the celebration bell at Manning Family Children's in New Orleans on Friday, Oct. 23, marking the first time a child in Louisiana has been functionally cured of sickle cell disease with gene therapy. Phillip Mullin had spent much of his life in and out of

*Source: [HERE New Orleans](https://www.hereneworleans.com/2026/10/27/teen-first-louisiana-child-cured-sickle-cell-gene-therapy/) — October 27, 2026 by Daniela Barnes*

NEW ORLEANS, La. — A 15-year-old patient from Alexandria rang the celebration bell at Manning Family Children’s in New Orleans on Friday, Oct. 23, marking the first time a child in Louisiana has been functionally cured of sickle cell disease with gene therapy.

Phillip Mullin had spent much of his life in and out of hospitals, logging more than 100 admissions by the time he turned 15 as painful sickle cell crises struck without warning. His family traveled from central Louisiana to the New Orleans hospital for the treatment.

He received LYFGENIA, a one-time therapy built from each patient’s own blood stem cells. The treatment adds working copies of the beta-globin gene so the body makes hemoglobin that resists sickling, which can cut down or end the pain episodes that define the disease. It is approved for patients 12 and older who have a history of those crises.

Mullin is the second person in Louisiana to reach this milestone. Daniel Cressy, 23, reached it first earlier this year as the state’s first patient described as functionally cured, using a different gene therapy called Casgevy. Federal regulators cleared both treatments in 2023.

The milestone carries extra weight in Louisiana. The hospital says sickle cell is the most common inherited blood disorder in the world and that Louisiana has more cases per person than any other state. The disease falls hardest on Black patients and often brings chronic pain and repeated hospital stays.

Manning Family Children’s is one of only a handful of programs offering this kind of treatment.