Nationwide — Daniel Cressy, a 22-year-old African American man from New Orleans,

Louisiana, is hoping to make history as the first person in the state to be cured of sickle cell disease using a groundbreaking new gene therapy.

Daniel, who dreams of one day becoming a pilot,

has been told he can only obtain a pilot’s license if he is fully cured of the disease. On Wednesday,

he began the first step toward that goal at Manning Family Children’s Hospital,

where he underwent the first of two six-hour sessions to collect his stem cells.

“Honestly, it’s a relief,” said Daniel. “It’s been a long time coming, and this is such a big step.

We’re just hoping they collect enough cells so the process can move forward quickly.”

Until now, the only long-term treatment for sickle cell disease has been a bone marrow transplant,

which requires a close genetic match—something not all patients have.

This new therapy offers an alternative for many who have had few options.

Manning Family Children’s is currently the only hospital in the entire state of Louisiana offering both bone marrow transplants and gene therapy treatments for children and young adults in their late teens and early 20s.