Henrietta Lacks was born Loretta Pleasant in Virginia in 1920. At some point, people began calling her Henrietta, though no one can say why for sure. She was one of ten children, though her mother died in childbirth on the last one. Her father was unable to care for so many children, and divided them up between relatives. Henrietta wound up living with her grandfather in what was a slave cabin with her first cousin, who she later ended up marrying. Henrietta complained of feeling a knot in her stomach, and was told she was pregnant. (She was.) The knot never seemed to go away, and after a difficult childbirth, she went to Johns Hopkins to see a doctor in January 1951, as that hospital was one of the only ones that would treat Black patients. She was diagnosed with cancer and received treatment, however samples of tissue were taken from her body without her knowledge or consent, and those samples are still used today in research. (They are known as the HELA line.) The treatment was ultimately unsuccessful, and Henrietta died in August 1951. An autopsy revealed the cancer had spread throughout her body.

Henrietta's swiped cells have been used to study cancer in general, as well as treatments for cancer. The cells form an immortal line, meaning they can be reproduced at a fast rate in a laboratory setting, allowing for continued research. These cells have been invaluable to cancer research, as well as other things. The polio vaccine was created after using these cells in research. These cells have been used in cloning research, all types of cosmetics and other medical treatments, and a host of other things. Thanks to several calls and inquiries, the family of Henrietta found out that her cells were being used in this way and that they were taken from her without her consent. This is a common theme, especially among Black people, where people are used for medical purposes without due knowledge or consent being given...and certainly without receiving recognition or fair compensation. (Medical Apartheid is a fantastic book on this subject if you are interested in medical history.) In more recent years, a tombstone was erected for her, historical markers, and other means of recognition and compensation.

This book was great. It was recommended many times on a nonfiction book page that I am part of on Facebook. I actually got this book at a library sale a long time ago, and decided I needed to get to it this year. I had never heard of this woman, which is a complete shame, and I am glad to learn about her. So many medical advancements have been made, largely in part to her swiped cells. She has done so much to further the scientific community and people's understanding of the human body, and she never even knew she did that. Learning about her and writing this review and suggesting this book to other people is a small way to recognize her, but it is what I am able to offer. If you are into medical history or are looking for something to read about the Black community, this is a great book for that...I also strongly suggest Medical Apartheid again for the same reasons.