Abu Dhabi: For most of his adult life, Fahad, a 43-year-old, could count the weeks to his next blood transfusion. Now, after gene therapy in Abu Dhabi, he has stopped counting.

Living with Thalassaemia, an inherited blood disorder, was never easy for him, but that was the only life he ever knew. “Since childhood, my life revolved around blood transfusions, medications, and hospital visits,” he said, speaking to Gulf News at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit 2026.

He saw it as a condition that demanded both his physical and mental well-being. The only way to fight and overcome it was with a positive mindset and proper care.

While normality is often discussed in routine lifestyles, for Fahad, that looked very different.…