‘I’m no longer in pain’

He has new blood.

A Long Island hospital said he administered the treatment of life -changing lyfgenia gene therapy and successfully deleted sickle cell disease from a Laurelton man.

Cohen Children’s Medical Center said the patient Sebastien Beauzile, 21, is the first of the New Yorker to receive progress, the post was the first to be reported.

“This is an adjustment,” said Dr. Jeffrey Lipton, Director of the Pediatric Hematology Oncology Center and source cell transplantation. “Other medicines modify the disease, but this is a cure … I suspect this will replace bone marrow transplants in time.”

Beauzile, had his first from many crisis from his extremely severe case of the sickle cell as a 4 -month -old child. Since then, he has been constantly inside and outside the Northwell facility in New Hyde Park, he said.

“Many times, the pain was 10 out of 10,” he said. “My back felt like someone was either pulling it or hanging. My chest would feel like someone was sitting in it.”

He could not travel without going to a hospital, found it very difficult to work a job, and had to stop going to Queens Community College because of recurring issues with the disease, which made his life significantly challenged.

“Although he had tried some treatments, none of them were working,” Dr. said Banu Aygun, Associate Hematology Chief.

“So when the gene therapy became available when the FDA was approved [in late 2023]Sebastien was the first patient in our minds … so that he can dramatically change his life. “

A light cell

Lyfgenia creates a new, healthy gene introduced into the parent cells associated with the source cells of red blood cells affected by the disease instead of more painful procedures such as bone marrow transplants, officials said. Aygun explained that newly approved treatment costs “millions” through insurance.

Beauzile had mixed emotions in early 2024 when it was told about the option he would get near a year of treatment. He was probably excited for a chance for a brighter future, but was anxious to need a week of chemotherapy to clean his old stem cells.

“At first, it was a little nervous. But the doctors talked to me about it, they told me what the side effects would be, and I was like, ‘Why not?’ “,” Said Beauzile, who spent time in the hospital building and playing “Dragon Ball Z” video games.

“Honestly. It wasn’t that bad.”

For months, the cells were periodically drained of the Beauzil’s blood and sent to a gene insertion laboratory.

At the end of December, they were successfully reinforced again in it within minutes.

“Now he is producing normal hemoglobin grown in his parent cells. You see him in his blood as well,” said Dr. Aygun. “That is why he has no symptoms about his sickle cell disease.”

For guarantees, Beauzile had to stay in the hospital for about another month and said January 13 was the day he felt like a young man while things started.

“When I got my cells, it was like an out -of -body experience … like a second birthday,” he said.

“I’m no longer in pain. I’ve been able to do a lot of new things, ”Beauzile added, working smoothly and have the first chance of a careless break.

He is also seeking to re-register at school to pursue a medical career, inspired by his journey.

“Especially with children who have a sickle cell, I feel as if they had someone who experienced what they are experiencing, went through what they are going through, then I could be that model of the role.”