Louisiana Teen Is State's First Child Functionally Cured of Sickle Cell Disease Through Gene Therapy

A 15-year-old from Alexandria has become the first child in Louisiana to be functionally cured of sickle cell disease through gene therapy, according to a report from New Orleans.

Phillip Mullin is also the first person in the state to receive Lyfgenia, the stem cell treatment that made the outcome possible. He enjoys Legos and Spider-Man, and over the course of his life he has spent time in the hospital more than 100 times.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says sickle cell disease causes abnormal red blood cells, which can lead to pain, infection and stroke.

Mullin's treatment was marked with a ceremony Friday morning at Manning Family Children's Hospital. His mother, Shataka Figgins, said she will now be unpacking far more than his hospital bag. "I think I'll be unpacking every fear, every negative emotion that I had, every time I thought my baby wasn't going to be here with me," Figgins said. She said she will remember the sleepless nights and the moments she wondered how much more his body could endure, but will also see "the young man who made it through."

Mullin's own speech at the event left much of the audience in tears. "Sacrifices are necessary," he said. "You can't gain anything without first giving something in return, although if you can endure that pain and walk away from it, you find that you now have a heart strong enough to overcome any obstacle."

He also paid tribute to his sister, Paige, whom he called his superhero. Despite teasing her and pushing her away, he said, "it doesn't matter how far I walk, Paige is always there, always waiting." Paige described the moment as emotional and said she never thought he would have this opportunity. "It just feels great," she said.

Archie Manning, a New Orleans Saints legend and one of the hospital's namesakes, said shortly after the ceremony that he had never seen anything quite like Mullin describing his journey with the disease. He called Mullin a "wonderful young man" with a remarkable mind, and said the outcome was "a miracle."

Mullin said he hopes as many people with sickle cell disease as possible will be able to receive stem cell gene therapy. He plans to return to school and eventually become a hematologist/oncologist, a doctor who treats blood disorders and cancer. "I want to be a doctor that can relate to somebody... relate to a sickle cell patient and actually know what they're going through," he said.

For now, Mullin said, his plans are simpler: going home to sleep in his own bed and building more Legos with his baby sister.