kamoshidasaori

Many things about this story combined to reel it absolutely close to my heart. At the most basic level, it is the story of a woman whose cancerous tissue becomes the baseline for an enormous amount of scientific research. It was biopsied without her knowledge or consent, however. The woman, Henrietta Lacks, was black. The question then follows- would this have happened to a white woman? And - if it did, would her family have been treated with more respect, dignity, and ultimately would they have received financial compensation. The book tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, her family, her cell culture line (HeLa), the doctors, and the politics and history surrounding cell cultures in general. It is worthy to note up front that, "Despite all the other cases and the press they've received, the Lacks family has never actually tried to sue anyone over the HeLa cells." And what's more... "The Lackes aren't interested in stopping all HeLa research. 'I don't want to cause problems for science,' Sonny told me as this book went to press. 'Besides, I'm proud of my mother and what she done for science. I just hope Hopkins and some of the folks who benefited off her cells will do something to honor her and make right with the family.' " In this well written book, we come to know and love the Lacks family. As readers, we experience their stress and hardships, some of which come directly from being misinformed, frightened, and used by the medical community- beyond their mother's initial culture event. The family is badgered and lied to. Each family member responds in their own way, simply heartbreaking to read. The poverty this family endures, while their mother's cell line is sold into the billions of dollars, is horrible. Still, the Lacks family has something corporate moguls will never share- love, faith in God, and empathy for fellow human beings.

2023-02-09 03:34