Honoring Henrietta

Trumbull Library's One Book-One Town program is now underway, with a variety of book talks, debates and forums. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot tells the true story of Henrietta Lacks, a young African-American woman who unknowingly changed American medicine.

Born in Virginia in 1920, Lacks grew up working in the fields on the same tobacco farm where her ancestors had toiled for generations as slaves. She married and became a mother of five until, in 1951, she developed a very aggressive form of cervical cancer and passed away a few months later at the age of 31. She died poor and her remains were buried in an unmarked grave.

That might very well have been the end of the story, except for the fact that, without her consent or even knowledge, doctors took a sample of her cancerous tumor. As it turned out, her rapidly-reproducing malignant cells had a unique quality in that they were miraculously immortal. Cultured in the lab by research scientists, the landmark discovery would prove to be invaluable in the development of everything from the polio vaccine to in-vitro fertilization to the Genome Project to cloning.

The manufacture and sale of these so-called HeLa cells (a name coined by taking the first two letters from Henrietta and Lacks) blossomed into a multi-million-dollar business. Patented and selling for as much as $10,000 per vial, the cells have made a fortune for biotech companies. Yet, the impoverished descendants of the donor never shared in the profits. Many of them couldn’t even afford health insurance.

Among the events commemorating Lacks’ life and Skloot’s book are a panel discussion on Who Owns Your Body? this Friday, March 19 at 7 p.m. in the Community Room of the Trumbull Library on Quality Street. The panel features Richard D. Connell, vice president and former head of Cancer Medicinal Chemistry, Pfizer Global Research and Development; the Rev. Mark A. Horton, Adjunct Professor of Philosophy and Humanistic Studies & Campus Chaplain, Western Connecticut State University; Dr. David Kaufman, Chief of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine and Head of Ethics Committee, Bridgeport Hospital; Lisa H. Newton, Professor of Philosophy, Fairfield University; and Joseph Wolenski, Lecturer and Research Scientist, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University.

The following day, Paul Siff, professor emeritus of History at Sacred Heart University, will discuss the ways in which the life of Henrietta Lacks and her family illustrate major developments in the 20th century African American experience.  The lecture will take place from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the Library’s Community Room.

You can register for these events, and find out more about other events honoring the contributions of Henrietta Lacks, by calling the library at 203-452-5197 or online at www.trumbullct-library.org.