Louisiana Teen Returns Home After First Pediatric Sickle Cell Cure

Sickle cell disease affects millions of Americans, causing rigid red blood cells that trigger pain, infection, and stroke. On Friday morning, that burden lifted for one patient in Louisiana.

Phillip Mullin, 15, of Alexandria, was discharged from Manning Family Children's Hospital in New Orleans. He is the first child in the state to be functionally cured of the condition through gene therapy. Mullin also became the first person in Louisiana to receive Lyfgenia, a stem cell treatment that alters DNA to prevent the disease.

The procedure concludes a medical journey that included more than 100 hospital stays. Mullin’s mother, Shataka Figgins, described the relief of leaving the facility. She said she would be unpacking more than just his belongings. “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 added that she will remember the sleepless nights but will focus on the young man who survived.

At a ceremony marking the discharge, Mullin addressed the crowd. He noted that sacrifices are necessary to gain something new. “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,” Mullin said. His sister Paige, whom he called his superhero, described the moment as emotional. She said she never thought he would have this opportunity and added, “It just feels great.”

Archie Manning, a New Orleans Saints legend and namesake of the hospital, attended the event. He described Mullin as a wonderful young man with a remarkable mind. Manning called the outcome a miracle and said he had never seen a patient describe their journey with such clarity.

Mullin plans to return to school and eventually become a hematologist and oncologist. He wants to treat blood disorders and cancer with a personal understanding of the patient experience. “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 the immediate future, his goal is to sleep in his own bed and build Legos with his baby sister.