The Immortal HeLa

HeLa Cells Dividing

I'm in the middle of reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. It's enjoyable as well as horrifying on so many levels. Race, ethics, privacy, medical research, patients' rights. I have found myself forgetting that this is a true account of actual events because it is so compelling a story and so very well written. I realize that my life and health have been made better because Henrietta Lacks' cervical cancer cells proved able to not only grow, but thrive in a test tube. The very highly virulent cells that were the cause of death for Henrietta ironically have advanced the health of humanity as a whole. This is a great read, even if you're not a science geek.