Henrietta and those cells

  Last night, I finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.  My good friend Jill lent me this book months ago, and I put it in my basket of books my friends think I should read.  Yes, I do have a pretty wicker basket in my library filled with books that all my wonderful friends think I would love.  And sometimes, I am a bit stubborn and ignore the fact that they are in there.  I was reluctant to read this one because it sounded so technical to me and a bit depressing.  I have been shying away from a lot of realistic depressing material later....depressing fantasy and dystopian books I will read like they are a dark chocolate Ritter bar for my brain. I picked this book up despite my worries, and I am glad I did.

This is the true story of Henrietta Lacks, a very poor African American women whose ancestors were slaves.  She worked as a tobacco farmer and married her first cousin.  They had five children together and made the most of their lives together....some good and some bad.  In the late 1940's, she got sick.  Cervical Cancer.  She was treated at Johns Hopkins in the "colored"  ward.  When the surgeon removed her tumor and some tissues, they saved it.  They used these cells for research.  Her cells turned out to be amazing cells....HeLa cells.  Still used today and responsible for the Polio Vaccine, Hep B Vaccine, and many more tremendous medical breakthroughs.  The conflict arises because Henrietta soon died in 1951 from the cancer.  She was buried in an unmarked grave, and her family was never told about her cells until 20 years later.  They never received notification of all the amazing things her cells were being used for. They went sent into space, used in studying the effects of atom bomb, and helped with advances in in vitro fertilization.  This is just a few things.

This is the story of the cells and Henrietta's family and the aftermath of the discovery of the cells.  The story of Henrietta's family with the focus being on her daughter Deborah is a fascinating yet sad story.  I read those chapters like mad.  The chapters are the history of the HeLa cells I read slower....trying to understand the topics of biological human materials, science and the law and research and cells.  It was incredible to me to learn all these topic....though I will admit I was lost a few times, but Rebecca Skloot did a great job getting me back on track of understanding.  A great read...and I, thank Jill for this recommendation.  Now I just have to return her book.  ; )