Monday, August 15, 2011

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Once again, Lindsay comes through. (Lindsay got me to read a silly story about teenage vampires that don't suck human blood.) Don't worry. This is not a vampire story. Mostly...
This is a non-fiction book people. I don't read many, but this one sucked me in. This is the story of a black woman in the 50's that dies of cervical cancer. Before she passes away, doctors take a sample of her cells and notice that they multiply quickly and can be kept alive very easily. This woman's cells become legendary. They have been instrumental in many medical studies and are sold around the world. They estimate that if you put them all together, they could circle the earth 3 times. Here is the crazy part. Her family of uneducated tobacco farmers, cannot afford health insurance.
This is a nail biter from the beginning. It really made me think that every time I take a pill or hear about some medical breakthrough, that it most likely happened because of Henrietta Lacks. Appalling! Read it! and let me know what you think!


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