A Historic Day: Henrietta Lacks's Long Unmarked Grave Finally Gets a Headstone
Today is a very exciting day: Henrietta Lacks (aka HeLa) has been lying in an unmarked grave since her death in 1951. Today, thanks to Dr. Roland Pattillo at Morehouse School of Medicine, who donated a headstone after reading
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
, her grave is finally marked. Below, a snapshot of some members of the Lacks family beside the new marker for Henrietta, and the marker for her daughter, Elsie, which was also unveiled today. Dr. Roland Pattillo is pictured at the ...
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by
Marialyce
(new)
May 30, 2010 11:43AM
It is about time that this remarkable woman be honored in this small way. Thanks to her, the world of science and cell technology has moved forward at a rapid pace. It would be nice to see her family receive some stipends from the various laboratories that make and have made large sums of money from Henrietta's cells. Perhaps someday, this will happen as well.
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Yay! I'm so glad Henrietta finally has a headstone, as well as Elsie. Your book has made me think a lot since I read it last month...about Henrietta and her family and how much the legal aspects of medicine have changed just in the last 20-30 years. I have really been thinking about the way Dr.'s used to perform experiments and procedures on certain races, the poor, the mentally ill, the handicapped, the Jews, etc.....and knowing that science has benefited from these experiements BUT at what cost to these people and their families. I can't seem to shake these thoughts from my head. Your book has really made me think. Thank you!
