Have you ever had a biopsy, surgery or blood test? What do you think happened with your leftover tissues? Do you have any rights over those tissues? Apparently not. Henrietta Lacks was a poor, uneducated black woman who was born in 1920 in Virginia. In 1951, a sample of her malignant cervical cancer tumor was taken without consent, knowledge or compensation. She passed away that same year from the cancer. What Henrietta’s family did not find out until nearly 25 years later is that the sample of her tumor became the first immortal human cell line to live outside the body in a laboratory culture. The combination of the aggressive cancer and virulent viral infections Henrietta was suffering from allowed her cells to multiply when all other human cell samples died. These immortal cells were nicknamed HeLa cells, and were instrumental in medical research. They were used in cancer, vaccine & cloning research and more; even sent into space. It was estimated that all the HeLa cells ever grown could weigh as much as 50 million tons! Her cells have lived outside her body for longer than they lived inside her. And all of this was done without consent. Initially the cells were given away freely to anyone who asked. Later, businesses were formed around growing and selling HeLa cells. The Lacks family never received any compensation, and cannot even afford medical insurance. This book was meticulously researched by author Rebecca Skloot over 10 years, and the author herself is very much a part of the story. It is her persistence with both the reclusive Lacks family and the medical community that drives the story. Unfortunately, there is no real resolution to the issue of HeLa. The book was published in February 2010, and in March 2013, Rebecca Skloot wrote a New York Times article about the DNA sequence of HeLa genome being publicly released. This is not an anonymous genome; there are many Lacks family members and DNA is private medical information that can reveal your genetic tendency towards disease.
The Chestermere Public Library’s Novel Book Club meets next on June 19 at 7:00pm to discuss An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield. Pick up the book at the Library and come join us! Everyone is welcome to attend.
