A Joosr Guide to… The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

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Henrietta Lacks lived an unremarkable life, but within her body was an extraordinary biological breakthrough. What she unwittingly contributed to medical science has changed the world forever.

In 1951, Henrietta Lacks walked into a Baltimore hospital complaining of cervical pain. But when doctors inspected her, they found something remarkable: she possessed cells that could reproduce themselves infinitely. Now known as HeLa cells, this contribution to medicine laid the foundation for countless innovations and cures-and all without her knowledge or permission. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the untold story of a woman whose disease killed her, but whose cells lived on to save thousands of lives, and the family fighting to reveal the truth about the mother they lost too soon.

You will learn:

How cells from Henrietta Lacks' body are still alive today, decades after she died

How HeLa cells were instrumental in the defeat of polio

Why even today doctors are allowed to keep your tissue after you have surgery.