But if he were born today with access to gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, he might have been able to walk without assistance. He might have been able to live a life without fear of impending medical catastrophe. The way Mr. Parish sees it, the life he has lived will one day become something of a historical curiosity. His experience of S.M.A., with all the suffering it has entailed, will likely be rendered extinct. Gene therapy has seen remarkable and highly publicized success in recent months, from the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of what amounts to cures for sickle cell disease to the news that a boy with congenital deafness could hear for the first time in his life following gene therapy.

---

Persons: Tyler Parish, Parish Organizations: Food Locations: Boston