Sickle Cell Warrior: Jimi’s Story
Client: Alliance for Regenerative Medicine
HOMEPAGE FEATURE : alliance for regenerative medicine
To do Jimi’s story justice, I traveled to his home in Atlanta to witness firsthand the profound impact of this treatment—not just as a medical breakthrough, but as a turning point in one man’s life. Jimi was candid about the emotional toll of living with Sickle Cell, admitting there were times he wished for it all to end. Leading up to the shoot, I was adamant about getting to know his high school sweetheart, Amanda, and their three adorable children, who are invaluable to Jimi’s story.
After wrapping the interview, I knew we needed to show the full picture—not just survival, but life beyond treatment. So we pivoted the original plan and took the shoot outside to Jimi’s local park, where I asked the family to go about their day as if it were a typical Saturday. What we captured went beyond recovery—it was joy, intimacy, and quiet triumph. This is a tribute to science and a call to action for continuous funding of life saving research.
Director’s Statement
Jimi Olaghere is one of 100,000 Americans living with Sickle Cell Disease—a genetic condition with no definitive cure and a life expectancy often limited to the mid-40s. After surviving severe complications in his 20s, including a heart attack and blood clots in his lungs, Jimi spent years undergoing treatments with no lasting relief. In 2020, after setting a Google alert on his phone, he became one of the first patients in the U.S. to undergo a groundbreaking CRISPR gene therapy trial. The treatment reprogrammed his blood cells to produce fetal hemoglobin—dramatically transforming his health and redefining his future. In 2023, the FDA officially approved the first gene therapies for Sickle Cell Disease, including the one Jimi received. Now, with three children and a new lease on life, Jimi is living proof of what’s possible when science meets human resilience.