Brighton man cured of sickle cell disease after NHS transplant
One of the first people in the UK to be cured of sickle cell disease says he now has a "great life".J'rimaya Okojie had a stem cell transplant to treat the genetic blood disorder, which doctors diagnosed him with aged two.After 40 years with the disease, Mr Okojie says he is now the first person with the disease from Brighton to be cured after he was among only a handful of people to get the treatment on the NHS.Mr Okojie, known as Jae, told BBC Radio Sussex the difference in his health before and after the treatment was "like night and day".
People with sickle cell disease produce unusually shaped red blood cells that do not live as long as healthy blood cells and can block blood vessels, according to the NHS.The inherited disease is more common in people with an African or Caribbean family background.Three of Mr Okojie's sisters died from the disease.Mr Okojie, who works for the NHS, said the disorder "literally shaped my life" and he "missed school almost regularly" as a child.The "crisis episodes" experienced as a result of the disease could last between two hours and two weeks and brought "unexplainable" pain, he said. "Your body just shuts down," he added.
Dale Seviar, a consultant at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust in London, told BBC Radio Sussex the treatment Mr Okojie underwent was "very intensive".Only a few patients are offered the treatment due to the risks involved, he said, but doctors were "finally at a stage where we are speaking to patients more and more about curative treatments".Stem cell transplants were approved for adults in 2019 and gene therapy was approved for NHS use in January, he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Decriminalising abortion is a major step toward giving women full control over their bodies
The vote to decriminalise abortion will herald the largest changes to the law on terminations in decades. While access to abortions is generally available in practice, this legal aspect imposes unnecessary stigma, restricts autonomy, and risks criminalising women and healthcare providers, campaigners say. Removing abortion from criminal law allows it to be treated like any other healthcare issue – governed by clinical guidance, not courts. This decision aligns England and Wales with countries like Canada, New Zealand, and parts of Australia, which have seen improved access and no increase in abortion rates – only safer outcomes. And it has happened as a result of a type of MP that were once quite rare on the House of Commons ' green benches – women. During the debate, Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi said women today were being prosecuted under an 'outdated' law passed by an all-male parliament in the 19th century. 'Originally passed by an all-male parliament elected by men alone, this Victorian law is increasingly used against vulnerable women and girls,' she told MPs. 'Women affected are often acutely vulnerable victims of domestic abuse and violence, human trafficking and sexual exploitation, girls under the age of 18 and women who have suffered miscarriage.' Campaigners have argued that women must no longer be "dragged from hospital bed to police cell" over abortion. The issue has hit the headlines in recent times with high-profile prosecutions of women such as Nicola Packer, who took prescribed abortion medicine not realising she was 26 weeks pregnant. Abortion was legalised in Britain in the 1960s amid a national outcry over women dying as a result of botched backstreet terminations. Afterwards, however, there was a nervousness among UK lawmakers, with many reluctant to tinker with the rules in case hard-fought rights were lost. In recent years there have also been moves by some to try to limit the rights, such as reducing the time limit from 24 weeks. But there has been a sea change in recent years, and it has been thanks to the election of many, many more women. MPs have been freed to come forward with changes to give women more autonomy over their lives, in the knowledge that more of the people who will be voting on the proposed changes to the law are women.
Reuters
25 minutes ago
- Reuters
Mark Cuban's Cost Plus partners with telehealth firm to offer employers obesity care drugs
June 17 (Reuters) - Telehealth firm 9amHealth has partnered with billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drug Company to offer U.S. employers cheaper obesity treatment options, the companies said on Tuesday. Cost Plus Drugs supplies generic drugs by contracting directly with manufacturers and applying a standard markup on each drug it sells. Employees will now have access to affordable medications through Cost Plus Drugs, supported by 9amHealth's team of doctors, all without long waits or costly appointments. The two companies will offer an option for employers looking to enhance coverage for weight management as well as chronic conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension. Cuban's startup offers a generic version of Novo Nordisk's ( opens new tab older GLP-1 diabetes drug, Victoza, in injectable form, according to its website. Additionally, 9amHealth's obesity program includes branded GLP-1 medications available through direct manufacturer partnerships. Cost Plus Drugs and 9amHealth did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on what drugs the tie-up will make available. Newer weight-loss drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's (LLY.N), opens new tab Zepbound, known to reduce weight by as much as 20%, can cost up to $1,000 per month without insurance coverage. Cost Plus Drugs has also established similar tie-ups with pharmacy benefit managers RxPreffered and AffirmedRx to provide lower-priced drugs via some employer-backed health insurance plans.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Daughter of a former England cricketer died from sepsis, pneumonia and Chron's disease after paramedics failed to alert doctors to her symptoms
The tragic daughter of a former England cricketer would have survived if medics had treated her properly, a coroner ruled today. Bethan James, 21, daughter of ex-England and Glamorgan batsman Steve James had visited hospital multiple times in the days leading up to her death - but she continued to be ill when released home. Paramedics were called to her house when she deteriorated at home - but a coroner found delays in her treatment and a lack of urgency. By the time she was seen at hospital Bethan was gravely ill and died with sepsis within hours of being admitted to the emergency department. Her sports journalist father had been covering the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and Ireland in Dublin when his daughter was taken seriously ill. But due to weather delays was unable to get home and see her before she died. The inquest heard ambulance staff attending Bethan's home had not requested emergency backup, struggled to insert an IV line, and did not issue a pre-alert to the hospital to warn them of her serious condition before she was admitted. On arrival to University Hospital Wales, Cardiff, Bethan was admitted to the less serious 'majors' unit rather than to resus where medics held a 'cognitive bias' to more immediate treatment. The hearing was told that a lactate reading obtained an hour after her arrival eventually prompted more senior doctors to become involved in her care. Senior Coroner Patricia Morgan said: 'I find that if earlier recognition and prompt action in response to Bethan's condition by ambulance services had occurred this would have resulted in a pre-alert to the emergency department. 'This would, and ought to have, resulted in direct admission to resus with clinical staff waiting for her.' She added: 'Earlier treatment would and ought to have commenced' and that 'the involvement of other specialists would and ought to have occurred at an earlier stage.' 'Cognitive bias towards resus patients, as described by Dr Thomas, would have been directed in Bethan's favour from the time of her arrival rather than once the lactate result was available. 'On balance, I find that had this direct admission to resus and prompt recognition and treatment occurred, then cardiac arrest would not have occurred when it did, which would have enabled more time for other specialities to become involved in Bethan's care. 'On balance I find that Bethan would not have died.' A post-mortem examination found Bethan died from a combination of sepsis, pneumonia and Crohn's disease. Bethan had been diagnosed with Crohn's in the previous months and had been admitted to hospital on a number of occasions in the days leading up to her death but sepsis was never diagnosed. During the hearing, her mother Jane James the court she felt medical staff missed opportunities to treat journalism student Bethan for sepsis and had been 'dismissive' of her condition. She said: 'It's heartbreaking as a mum to know that her life could have been saved.' Mrs James described Bethan as a 'caring and beautiful' beautiful person who would have made a 'brilliant' journalist. Giving a narrative conclusion the coroner said Bethan had attended hospital 'multiple occasions' between 27/1/2020 and 6/2/2020 but was repeatedly sent home. Ms Morgan said: 'Bethan was reluctant to return hospital due to her lack of confidence arising from earlier attendances at hospital.' When her condition deteriorated on February 8, 2020 her mother Jane dialled 999 and a rapid responder arrived at her home. Ms Morgan said: 'The rapid responder identified Bethan was in need of admission to hospital and request a back up ambulance at a non-urgent grade of P3, Bethan's condition warranted an emergency response. 'There was no pre-alert issued to hospital to make them aware of the seriousness of her condition. 'Bethan was transferred to the UHW majors area of the department when she should admitted directly to resus. 'There was an extended transfer between ambulance and hospital and a delay in recognising Bethan's critical condition once she was admitted. 'This delayed the escalation of her treatment and the input of specialty doctors into her care. 'Bethan sadly went into cardiac arrest and died.' Following the ruling Ms Morgan offered her condolences to Bethan's parents who had sat through the hearing.
