BREAKING NEWS: Henrietta Lacks, age

31, dies of cancer at Johns Hopkins

Henrietta Lacks, age 31, died

October 4, 1951, at Johns Hopkins Hospital in
Baltimore, Maryland. A resident of a farm in
Clover, a small town in south-central Virginia.
Her official cause of death was ovarian
cancer that she was being treated for as she
died.

Johns Hopkins is a reputable hospital in Baltimore, MD.

Howard W. Jones was the doctor who officially diagnosed her with a malignant
epidermoid carcinoma. She was checked into the hospital for treatment immediately.
The doctors immediately realized that it was very serious. They did everything they
could, but in vain.
Henrietta had 5 children with her husband, David, “day” Lacks. David Jr,
Lawrence, Elsie, Deborah, and Zakariyya. They all lived at the family’s humble farm in
Clover, VA. She also had six siblings with which she also lived at the family home.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OBITUARY

This is a picture of Henrietta Lacks

during her lifetime she is standing in
front of a wall and she looks very happy
and beautiful. She was pretty young in
this picture.
 Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman who had five kids by the
names of David Lacks Jr., Lawrence Lacks, Deborah Lacks, Elsie Lacks, and Zakariyya
Bari Abdul Rahman Lacks. She was married to her cousin Day lacks on April 10th,
1941. She spent her childhood with Day being raised by her grandfather in Clover,
Virginia. She was educated in tobacco farming. Her mother died in childbirth in 1924
and her father took her with her other 9 siblings to Clover, Virginia where they would be
separated into different homes to be raised.
Soon after she married Day he moved to Maryland to work in Bethlehem steel’s
Sparrows Point steel mill. And later Henrietta and the Children moved to join Day at
turner station, Maryland. Day and Henrietta were very poor. Henrietta was only able to
have a middle school education because of her marriage at only 15 years old and she
had kids. She lived her life looking after other people and giving to everyone. She was
an amazing woman that was very loved by everyone who was lucky enough to know
her. When Henrietta was diagnosed with cervical cancer at first she didn’t want anyone
to know or worry so she didn’t tell anyone about it.
Henrietta eventually died from cervical cancer at the age of 31. Little did she
know she would still live in the hearts of those close to her but she would be alive for
many more years in her famous immortal cells that would forever change science. She
did not only change lives during her own life but she still made an impact once she had
passed away. Henrietta will now forever be remembered by not only the people she was
close to but the people whose lives her cells saved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
History Behind Johns Hopkins

Johns Hopkins, a wealthy businessman, left his fortune to establish the Johns
Hopkins Hospital and University. Hopkins wanted a school of medicine alongside the
hospital leading medicine to take a jump start. Johns Hopkins was officially opened in
1876, both the medical campus and the hospital itself. The hospital is located in East
Baltimore and soon to be very popular.
The first chief Physician-in-Chief at the hospital, Sir William Osler, attracted many
men and women to join the medical department at the hospital. Each of the chairmen
after Osler followed in his footsteps by adhering to the Oslerian principles of the patient
and the importance of patient-based education. Osler established full time residency
and made many important changes that will last the hospital. The hospital offered care
to patients of any color, making the hospital unique from others. In fact, Mr
Hopkins made sure his hospital supported everybody in his final will and
testament, “...not only for Whites but, for the sick, Colored People and also Children.”
This made Johns Hopkins stand out from the rest, especially with all the competition at
the time.

Old photograph of Johns Hopkins Hospital

Nowadays, Johns Hopkins is a

collection of more than a dozen “mini-
hospitals” and centers occupying over
44 acres in the Baltimore area. The
hospital cares for all and the medical
campus is sophisticated as it always
has.

---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
----------
HELP WANTED

Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland

needs more cancer researchers. Requirements: Have a
degree in human anatomy or biology. Be able to work
with patients, and try to cheer them up. Hard worker,
willing to work 9-10 hours a day for good pay. Be good
with lab equipment, and be able to work in a lab.

Rebecca Skloot could use an assistant. They

would have to be able to travel a lot, be able to write an article and interview people.
They must be dedicated to the cause, that is currently researching and making the
world know the story of Henrietta Lacks.
 The Tuskegee Institute needs people to duplicate cells that they have recently
acquired from Johns Hopkins. Be able to transfer cells to vials, label them properly, and
know how to pack the cells away. The job is in Alabama at the Tuskegee Institute.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Abby Column:

Dear Abby, my wife was diagnosed with cancer and the doctor asked me if he could use
some of her cells for medical research. And I’m not sure if I am comfortable with that after
learning about what Henrietta Lacks’ husband and family went through with using her cells for
research. What if my wife’s cells cause a huge impact on the medical field? What happens then?
Please help me.
- Worried husband

This is a modern day medical consent form.

Back when Henrietta was being treated for
cancer the system was very different and not
completely consensual.

Dear worried husband, I can understand your concern. Yes, Day Lacks had a very hard
time with this whole situation. But, you have to remember that consent is different today than it
was in the 1940s. Don't do anything you aren’t comfortable with and maybe have a conversation
with your family and wife and see what they say about all this. I would also make sure to talk to
your doctor exactly what this would entail. Make sure that it will not hurt your wife in any way
or that she is treated fairly and with respect. Make sure to talk about the possibility of the cells
making a huge medical impact and what that would mean for you and you're family. You also
need to make sure that if that does happen you will be informed as soon as possible. If you do
decide to give the doctor your consent and your wife’s cells make a big medical breakthrough,
You need to make sure you get as much benefit as possible and do not let it turn into another
Henrietta Lacks family story. Fight for your rights in this day in age it is much easier. I can't tell
you what to do but I can say be careful this can be very complicated. Good luck I hope this was
helpful.
-Abby
Dear Abby, I have just been diagnosed by cancer and I just read about Henrietta Lacks
and her cancer experience and I was wondering how can I get through cancer and still have a life
just like Henrietta?
- Cancer girl
 Dear Cancer girl, I am so sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with cancer. That
can be very hard to get through while still living your life to the fullest. Before you do anything,
make sure you check with your doctor because you don't want to make anything worse. But you
need to always remember that yes they're will still be some things that you won't be able to do
but you need to take advantage of everything that you can do. Live life to the fullest. Just
because you can't do something that you used to do doesn’t mean you are stuck. This just means
that you can do new things. Maybe you will find something that you love that you might not
have ever thought of before. You just need to focus on the positive rather than the negative it will
make you so much happier and more motivated. Henrietta never thought of the negative effect of
the cancer she didn’t let it interrupt her life until the end. But you must remember that this isn’t
permanent. You will get through this. So start living your life now because when cancer has left
you can build from there. I wish you best of luck and get well soon. You got this.
- Abby

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interviewing Deborah Lacks

: What was it like finding out your mother’s cells were and are used
worldwide as we speak?

Deborah: It was shocking, to think that in a way, my mother is still alive as

we speak, and her cells volume is the equivalent of about 10 empire state
buildings! Then, it was anger as I realized that they did this without asking
anyone in our family ever, and we were never given recognition or
compensation.

: What did you and your family do when you realized they took her cells
without consent or recognition?

Deborah: We all got together and tried to piece together what exactly had
happened, as we were all in shock and grief stricken.

: What do you remember about your mom?

Deborah: I do not remember much, just that she was always kind and
wanted no harm for anyone, as well as being fun.

: Last question. How was your life in the years after she died?

Deborah: It was pretty rough for a while, I got tuberculosis. After that, life
began looking up, but we were and still are poor.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opinion- Would it have been better for Henrietta’s family to
find out about the cells sooner?

j
descendants of Lacks, Johns Hopkins
University President Ronald J. Daniels and
Paul B. Rothman, CEO of Johns Hopkins
Medicine and dean of the medical faculty at
the School of Medicine are in this picture.
John Hopkins named a research building in
Henrietta’s Honor.

Yes, I think it would have been a huge benefit for Henrietta’s family to know about the
cells as soon as their immortality was discovered and not 70 years later. First of all, this concerns
them more than it could concern any other scientists. They have the right to know what
Henrietta’s cells were doing for the medical world. They deserve to know that their mother still
lives and has been all over the place even space. I mean how would you feel if someone in your
family very close to you made a huge impact on our world and you never knew about it. I mean
imagine all the benefits they missed out on.
Henrietta’s son David lacks had quintuple bypass surgery and he is now $125,000 in
debt. I mean how is that fair that his mother’s cells have made probably billions or trillions of
dollars and her son someone who meant the world to her. If the family had only found out sooner
maybe they could have more health benefits.
 If her family could only have more recognition they could have the benefits they need
and deserve. I mean how come doctors and other professionals in the medical field have made a
very large salary due to these cells but Henrietta’s family lives in health care debt. I mean yes
they did not directly contribute to the medical breakthroughs but, those cells were the property of
Henrietta Lacks and they were not fully consented to take these cells. So, for one thing they
actually shouldn’t have taken her cells in the first place no matter what medical breakthroughs
they brought, And secondly, after someone dies their property automatically goes into the
responsibility of the family. So technically the cells belong to Henrietta’s family and they should
be getting at least 50% of the profits made off of the cell. Yet alone have the knowledge that they
exist. They are definitely not being treated fairly and they deserve to know about the cells sooner
because of the possible immense benefit Henrietta’s immortal cells could bring them.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BUSINESS:

HeLa cells cost anywhere from $200-1000 per vial

Need cells? That’s

right folks, you can now buy
the impeccable HeLa cells for
yourself. They are available at
most medical suppliers near
you. The cost may seem high
but for what these cells can do,
most would pay double.

Picture of petri dishes that cells

are taken from

For all who don’t know what the cells of Henrietta Lacks are, they are the
cells that started a chain of never ending medical breakthroughs. These cells were
taken from her during her time at Johns Hopkins treating her cervical cancer. After
much scientific research, the cells eventually led to the treatment of many cancers
and diseases that were originally untreatable. If you’re interested in cell research or
lab investigation, these cells would provide for many of those needs. The cells
have done an impeccable amount of things for the science world already and still
to this day make a huge impact.
 Many claim that these cells have helped with their individual research and
maybe they could help your research as well. An investment in such a thing can
either be big or just affect your bank account. HeLa cells, even just a single vial,
are vital to groundbreaking research. The cells have made Henrietta live on and
buying the vial can help through many problems you never thought you’d get
through. If you are interested in buying these vials, do your research on local
biomedical suppliers or other small companies near you that would be interested in
selling the cells.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interview with Rebecca Skloot

: What happened between the time the cells were taken to George Gey’s lab to
them taking over the scientific world?

Rebecca: The cells were first given away to any of Gey’s friends who initially
wanted to do research on them. Then, the cells started spreading after this and
eventually a factory was built to mass produce the cells, trillions per week. After
this, a bunch of profits started growing the cells in their own environment.

Rebecca Skloot, bestselling author of “Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”

: How did you initially get involved with the world of HeLa?
Rebecca: When I was 16, sitting in my biology class, my teacher mentioned these
cells. He wrote her name on the board, told us she was a black woman, then the
class was over. After class, I went up to him and started asking him question after
question. From then on, I sorta became obsessed and never really let it go.

: Henrietta’s family has blood samples taken from them without them knowing
what was going on, how did Day find out about these cells?

Rebecca: Well, as we know, Day has a third grade education and didn’t really
know what a cell was. So, one day, he got a phone call saying ‘Hey, we’ve got
your wife, she’s alive in these laboratories and we’ve been doing research on her
for over 25 years and now we have to test your children to see if they have the
cancer to.’ Because of his little education, he has no idea what was going on, he
thought they had her in a cell. A prison cell. The scientists didn’t know that the
family didn’t understand so it was just a big communication breakdown.

: Final question. You took Henrietta’s family to a scientist to show them the
research that had been done. What was that like?

Rebecca. Incredible. Deborah and siblings knew that Henrietta died but they had
no idea what had been going on behind the scenes and so when they came to see
what they had been doing, they were breath taken.

: Thank you for your time!

Rebecca: Thank you for having me, I appreciate it.

Works Cited (photos and articles)
Breaking-https://www.sutori.com/story/hela-timeline--GT9VeNVVXeukPVd192RPMR5N
History of Johns Hopkins- https://me.jhu.edu/about/department-history/
Obituary- https://www.aauw.org/2012/02/16/the-woman-behind-hela-cells/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henrietta-Lacks
https://www.lincolnschool.org/alumnae/alumnae-blog/details/~board/the-green-
light-blog/post/11-reasons-why-you-should-care-about-henrietta-lacks
Help Wanted-https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Tuskegee_University
Interview with Rebecca Skloot- https://youtu.be/tnUp0xQlfK8
http://www1.udel.edu/udaily/2012/oct/skloot-lacks-freshmen-101411.html
HeLa Vials Business Article- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-immortal-
henrietta-lacks/
https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/hela-cell.htm
https://www.sutori.com/story/the-history-of-henrietta-lacks--
tutumgHkUW3g8MECEWejXfPM
Dear Abby-https://printabletemplates.com/medical/medical-consent-form/
Opinion-https://hub.jhu.edu/2018/10/06/henrietta-lacks-building-naming/