By I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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MONDAY, March 17, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For 21 years, Sebastien Beauzile lived with the chronic pain of sickle cell anemia.<\/p>\n
Now, thanks to a groundbreaking genetic treatment, he is the first person in New York to be cured of the disease.<\/p>\n
“Sickle cell was like a blockade for me, but now it’s just like a wall that I just jumped over,” Beauzile said in a report published by CBS News<\/em>.<\/p>\n The hospital used an advanced therapy called Lyfgenia, which modifies a patient’s own bone marrow to produce healthy red blood cells.<\/p>\n “When we could use Sebastien’s own stem cells to do this therapy, we were delighted,” Dr. Banu Aygun<\/a>, a New York-based physician who specializes in Pediatric Hematology Oncology at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, N.Y., said.<\/p>\n Sickle cell anemia, first described in 1910, primarily affects people of African, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern descent.<\/p>\n “Here we are over 100 years later, and this is the first cure you are seeing,” Dr. Jeffrey Lipton<\/a>, another physician who specializes in Pediatric Hematology Oncology at Northwell Health, said.<\/p>\n Doctors at Cohen Children\u2019s Medical Center say they are excited to offer this life-changing therapy to more patients.<\/p>\n “We feel blessed to be able to offer, be the first ones to be able to offer this,” Dr. Jonathan Davi Fish<\/a>, a pediatric hematologist\/oncologist at Northwell Health, added.<\/p>\n “Sebastien been coming to this hospital since he was 2 months old. There is not enough words to show you how grateful I am,” Magda Lamour, Beauzile’s mother, told CBS News<\/em>.<\/p>\n Now free from the disease, Beauzile looks forward to traveling, exercising and pursuing his education. He hopes to work in the medical field.<\/p>\n “I can’t wait to get back to my day-to-day life because now I feel unstoppable,” he said.<\/p>\n In support of continued sickle cell treatment efforts, civil rights attorney Ben Crump<\/a> announced a $100,000 donation to Northwell Health.<\/p>\n More information<\/strong><\/p>\n The Cleveland Clinic has more on symptoms, causes and treatment of sickle cell anemia.<\/p>\n