Immortality

When Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with terminal cancer in the early '50s she didn't know that samples of her cells were taken and grown in a lab. These aggressive cells, known as HeLa, grew into an immortal cell line used in labs around the world. HeLa cells were well known in the science world, being used in medical and scientific research. These cells even flew on the space shuttle. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is the story of the HeLa cells but much more importantly this is the story of Henrietta Lacks and of her family, who knew nothing about these cells for more than 20 years. SG