Sickle cell patient's journey leads to landmark approval of gene-editing treatment

"The therapy has really transformed my life more than I could have ever imagined," Victoria Gray, the first person to receive the CRISPR gene-editing treatment tellls NPR. "It gave me a new lease on life." (Orlando Gili for NPR)

Four years ago, Victoria Gray was lying in a hospital bed, exhausted by a lifetime with sickle cell disease and recovering from a grueling experimental treatment she hoped would save her.

Today, the Forest, Miss., mother of four is brimming with energy and hope. She's working full time, keeping up with her teenage children and traveling the world with her husband.