![]() That's something Deborah also wants to discover, as her mother died when Deborah was just a baby. Skloot insists she doesn't just want to write about science, but to tell the world who Henrietta Lacks was. Struggling with her own health issues, anxiety, and emotional mood swings, Deborah tries to believe that Skloot isn't another fast-buck artist who's going to rip off the family. ![]() The HBO movie focuses on the relationship between Skloot (played by Rose Byrne) and Lacks' daughter, Deborah (played by Winfrey.) While others in her family resent never having "made a dime" off the HeLa cells that helped to enrich others, Deborah's feelings are more tortured and personal. In addition to her cells, which continue to reproduce today, Henrietta Lacks left behind a husband and five children. The HeLa cells, as they were known, represented a breakthrough whose impact can't be overstated.Ĭells from Henrietta Lacks became the foundation for a breathtaking series of developments, from the biomedical industry to research leading to treatments for such illnesses as polio, Parkinson's disease and leukemia. Those cells were cultured, and were found to be able to reproduce in a lab - the first time human cells had done that. Without her knowledge or consent, doctors harvested her cells. She died of cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in 1951. Lacks was a 31-year-old African American woman who was descended from slaves. What happened to Henrietta Lacks, and those in her family, is powerfully, and at times painfully, dramatic. And though it's made with all the good intentions in the world, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" feels rushed and cramped. But the story of Henrietta Lacks is too big to be compressed into 90 minutes. Oprah Winfrey is an executive producer and the star. HBO has made a TV movie adaptation of Skloot's book, which comes bearing its own impressive credentials. It spent nearly six years on the New York Times bestseller list, and sparked countless discussions of race, class, poverty, science, and medical ethics. Skloot devoted 10 years to working on the book, which was published in 2010. We are deeply committed to the ongoing efforts at our institutions and elsewhere to honor the contributions of Henrietta Lacks and to ensure the appropriate protection and care of the Lacks family’s medical information.The story former Portlander Rebecca Skloot told in her nonfiction book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," was so remarkable it's not surprising that Skloot's book became a publishing phenomenon. At several points across those decades, we found that Johns Hopkins could have - and should have - done more to inform and work with members of Henrietta Lacks’ family out of respect for them, their privacy and their personal interests. The publication of Skloot’s book led Johns Hopkins to review our interactions with Henrietta Lacks and with the Lacks family over more than 50 years. We were proud to support the book research and development of the film by providing full access to the Hopkins archives and granting permission to HBO to film several scenes for the movie on the Hopkins campus. Johns Hopkins applauds and regularly participates in efforts to raise awareness of the life and story of Henrietta Lacks. ![]() This guide addresses several important health care, research and ethical themes addressed in the book and in the movie. Her cells, known as HeLa cells for Henrietta Lacks, remain a remarkably durable and prolific line of cells used in research around the world. The donation of Henrietta Lacks' cells began what was the first, and, for many years, the only human cell line able to reproduce indefinitely. Henrietta Lacks was one of a diverse group of patients who unknowingly donated cells at Hopkins in 1951. That book became the basis for the HBO/Harpo film by the same name, which was released in April 2017. In 2010, Rebecca Skloot published The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, a compelling look at Henrietta Lacks’ story, her impact on medical science, and important bioethical issues.
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