It's a medical first. Keone Penn, of Atlanta, is one of thousands of children who inherited sickle cell anemia, said Martin. It's a disorder where red blood cells are abnormally shaped.
Sickle cell can trigger kidney failure and strokes.
But blood transfusions and medications no longer helped, said Martin. Keone lives with the knowledge that the next stroke could kill him. I think about it a lot. Now, Keone's hope is up, Martin said. He is the first sickle cell patient in the world to receive a cord blood transplant from an unrelated donor.