Henrietta Lacks: The Woman Behind the Cells

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The Woman Behind the Cells

Who is Henrietta

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he immortal life of the HeLa cells began as Loretta, called Henrietta, Pleasant, a girl born in Roanoke, Virginia, on August 1, 1920.

Living in a small shack overlooking a train depot, Henrietta lived with her parents and eight older siblings until 1924, when her mother Eliza Lacks Pleasant died during the birth of her last child. After her moth All ten upon relatives, and with her grandfaLiving with her in, Day, Henrietta the sixth grade and on April 10, 1941.

Lawrence in 1935, in 1947, Deborah in 1950.

children were divided Henrietta was placed ther, Tommy Lacks. grandfather and cousstayed in school until married Day at twenty They had five children, Elsie in 1939, David Jr. 1949, and Zakariyya in

After feeling a hard marble-sized lump just to the left of her cervix three months after her last birth, Henrietta’s had to visit a specialized clinic for a proper diagnosis. However, due to the Jim Crow Era, the only available hospital for Henrietta was over twenty miles away, at the Johns Hopkins gynecology clinic in East Baltimore. With all her children and Day waiting in the car, Henrietta was ushered into the colored-only exam room, where Howard Jones, the gynecologist, diagnosed her with cervical cancer.

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importance of H e l a Produced drugs/ Vaccines to treat: Polio Tuberculosis Hemophilia Leukemia Influenza Herpes Parkinson’s disease.

Part of research looking into:

Cancer-causing genes Sexually transmitted diseases Lactose digestion Mosquito mating Appendicitis Human longevity Gene mapping, Cloning AIDS

The Sad Truth

“Although Henrietta did not explicitly voice her choice, she was never given one to begin with.”

F

or 22 Years, Henrietta’s family was completely unaware that their mother’s cells were being used and profited off of. Even Henrietta herself died without knowing the truth behind her cells.

The Lacks family were given no profits and were left to fend for themselves with the little they had.

A Closer Look at

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enrietta’s first treatment for cervical cancer was performed by Dr. Lawrence Wharton Jr, where he sewed a radium tube inside Henrietta’s cervix. However, without Henrietta’s consent, a sample of her tumor and cervical tissue was shaven off and given to researcher Dr. George Gey. Gey had been trying to develop a continuous cell line and had failed numerous times before Henrietta’s cells came along. Henrietta’s tumor cells, labeled as the “HeLa Cells,” grew twenty times faster than Henrietta’s normal cells.

The Monument.

“pool of everlasting cells” Inside the water

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Location 1

Peterson Building

Henrietta’s statue will be

placed in front of the Peterson Family Health Sciences Hall.

More specifically, it will be outside in the amphitheater, where visitors can admire the statue in a calm environment.

Because the Peterson building is a science building, Henrietta’s monument will be the perfect location for people to be reminded of her contributions to the scientific world.

Location 2

Main Entrance

Another

ideal location for this statue is at the Johns Hopkins Medical Campus's main entrance in Baltimore, Maryland. Hopkins was where Henrietta was diagnosed with cancer, and it was also the location of the start of the HeLa cells.

Placing a monument in front of the main entrance will allow Henrietta’s to be the first and last thing people see.

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