Apart from that, the novel examines the remaining family members, their experiences with Henrietta, their life stories and how their lives played out. I’m all for getting rid of that barbaric practice, given the medical advances in science and technology. The only thing that I could appreciate about how fast and hearty the HeLa cells were is that a lot of experimentation did not take place on laboratory animals. I understand that research needs to be carried out in order for there to be medical breakthroughs, new medicines, antibiotics, treatments, etc., for patients to get better or have a variety of medications to choose from. Some of the family members didn’t necessarily believe that the cells were cultured through medical/scientific means, but rather that it was voodoo, or some such thing. The family could have used the funds to help with the day to day costs of living, perhaps put some money away in the bank, and send grandchildren to college or university or simply to pay down debts. These people cannot afford health care and the fact that the medical field profited off of a sample of cells taken from Henrietta – without her knowledge or consent – and never once gave a share of the profits to the family is really awful.

The author, Rebecca Skloot (pictured), states that when she was conducting some of her interviews with the family members of Henrietta, that there was a lot of mistrust, confusion and anger.

The book flips back and forth from past to present. Gey and his wife had been conducting medical research into seeing whether or not they could grow some sort of cell division outside of the human body which prompted that harvest. Gey received a sample of cervical cells of Henrietta Lacks. It was during these evasive procedures that Dr. Henrietta basically took the doctor’s word to be law and went along with whatever they recommended. I found the treatments to be painful and barbaric, with no proper research to prove that it would be successful. In my humble opinion, they were very lax in their treatment of her.

Richard Telinde at John Hopkins Hospital and they conducted some physical examinations of Henrietta while she was under their care. The physicians who ‘so called’ treated Henrietta were Dr. Remember the below stairs scenes of Cinemax’s THE KNICK? You had to go to the basement if you were a person of color. It was tough to go see a doctor, but imagine being a woman of color, having to get a drive to the hospital and you were not permitted on the main floor. I guess I take for granted that we have good health care today (speaking as a Canadian) and you can visit your doctor, take the time to ask questions and if need be, make additional appointments to see a specialist. She was in constant pain and didn’t actively go to a doctor to get checked out. Henrietta had yet another challenge to face: her health was not good. Long days and long hours were involved in working at the plant or raising a family. Life was not glamorous: it was tough, back-breaking work for everyone involved. Henrietta and her family moved to Maryland to work on at a steel mill. She married extremely young (she was just a teenager herself when she had her first child and then got married shortly after). Henrietta did not have an easy life: as a child and teenager, she worked in the tobacco fields, helping the family to pick the plants every day to support her grandfather. The family had been moved to Clover, Virginia and split up amongst relatives, out of necessity. She had ten brothers and sisters and her mother passed away after having the tenth child. Henrietta was a woman of African American origin, born into an impoverished family. Henrietta Lacks’ medical issues were nothing but experimentation and research for doctors and lab staff. With Oprah Winfrey placing her support behind a docudrama about The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks biography, the audience will be in for an eye opening experience into how past medical practices were so cold and clinical.

Hbo immortal life of henrietta lacks