August 1, 1951 she was exactly 31 awaiting a miracle from the hem of a garment. However, she became the hem of a healing garment, again proving “the most important (beautiful) things in life are for free”.
Subjected to the maze of a life of numerous challenges, Henrietta Lacks (Born Loreta Pleasant) was born in Roanoke, Virginia, USA. However, she grew up with relatives in Clover, Virginia after she lost her mother at a young age and her father alone could not fend alone for all the four children.
Her story points out to the uniqueness of everyone in their own capacity. Henrietta who was a beautiful black American tobacco farmer while growing up, held immense potentials that later changed the world. There is little yet something immense about we all.
Henrietta Lacks wasn’t just a great mom, she was a great family and friend. She was recognized by her friends and family as a beautiful woman with great relationship skill, a family builder. She reminds the world that “nobody is a nobody”, we all have that greatness the world is yet to witness.
She was diagnosed with cervical cancer after giving birth to her last child. She went through pain from the illness and treatment. She was broken hearted, knowing her kids were very young and needed the guidance of their mother especially in the edgy and challenging circumstances African-American go through in their localities and country at large.
Henrietta Lacks “The Immortal”
During her stay in the John Hopkin hospital for the cancer treatment, her samples were drawn from her cervix without her knowledge or the family’s consent. The samples were given to George Gey who was a researcher and they were later called HeLa.
She later died from the cancer on October 4, 1951 and was buried in an unmarked grave. Her cells grew outside a living body rapidly at certain conditions, they stayed alive for research, immense examination and assessments. Her cells could multiply like in the biology “meiosis” without dying, she is one of a few that is neither dead nor alive. She lives in many, touching a lot of lives and above all, a turning point of a miracle to all of mankind.
The Significance
The HeLa cell had led to many research hurdles being scaled in medicine, pharmacy, biomedicine etc. Her cells were used to develop new vaccines. The HeLa cell was used in the breakthrough of Polio vaccines development by Jonas Salk, virology, cancer studies, AID, genetics and many more breakthrough for scientists.
The HeLa which was cultured without her consent nor the families were/are grown in numbers are sold commercially to researchers without the family getting a dime. This for years brought about ethical dilemmas and ideologies for different school of thoughts.
It is noteworthy to recognize the healer of a woman, Lacks lives on. Although she lives without the known, her life sheds light to the gift providence has given us all, owning to an inertial graced with time and events.
There are numerous ways to reach out, it takes nothing extra ordinary but a heart, a soul, some living. When we determine this path to walk in our endeavors, none can ever feel like an outreach or soul lifting from one human to another. Henrietta’s soul or spirit never lived in those cells, Henrietta is those cells. Living every day in them with a new purpose and another dimension in a perspective filled world.
Thank you for healing the world HeLa (Henrietta Lacks).
Jupiter C. Usi
Jupiterusi's Blog 
HeLa was a medical breakthrough.
Amazing write up