Sickle cell patient Braxton Hubbard feels 'amazing' after gene therapy treatment

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Sickle cell anemia disproportionately affects Black people, causing severe pain, potential organ damage and in some cases, death. Many times, only blood transfusions can provide relief.

Now, one sickle cell patient is living a life with less pain thanks to the donations of strangers.

Braxton Hubbard suffered from sickle cell his entire life until a little more than a year ago, when he got a gene therapy treatment.

"I been living life," Hubbard said. "Living an ordinary average life, as a non-diseased ridden person, you know sickle cell free basically."01:34:01

Now his life looks a little more like what an average 29-year-old's life should look like.

"Going to the movies, just doing average things that I can do without worrying about having sickle cell," Hubbard said.

Before the treatment, Braxton had to be rushed to the hospital often due to the pain crises associated with sickle cell anemia. But now, he says, "I feel amazing. I never knew my whole entire life that I was gonna go through. I was gonna have this experience. I thought this experience was gonna be my afterlife."

But Hubbard says he wouldn't have even made it to this point without the generosity of blood donors.

"I look at them as being superheroes and heroes from comic books," Hubbard said.

And his message is for people to continuing donating: "Do it. You're saving your life."

Hubbard just finished writing a book about his journey called "The Life is in the Blood." You can buy it on Amazon.

The two-day Great Chicago Blood Drive event is scheduled for January 11th and 12th at seven Chicago area locations. You can sign up for an appointment here.