Sonny Lacks
I'm Sonny Lacks, son of Henrietta Lacks. My mother's cells have been used for research in Hopkins. She died because of cancer, left father, me and other siblings very early. However, Hopkins didn't acknowledge any family member about their continuing research, which was using my mother's cells. I never trusted Hopkins, "Back then they did things, especially to black folks. John Hopkins was known for experimenting on black folks. They would snatch them off the street" (307). “John Hopkin didn’t give us no information about anything. That was the bad part. Not the sad part, but the bad part, cause I don’t know if they didn’t give us information because they was making money out of it, or if they was just wanting to keep us in the dark about it. I think they made money out of it, cause they were selling her cells all over the world and shipping them for dollars”(232).
Only thing we knew was that her cells have some significant contributions to science. "Her cells have been blowed up in nuclear bombs. From her cells came all these different creations—medical miracles like polio vaccines, some cure for cancer and other things, even AIDS. She liked takin care of people, so it make sense what she did with them cells. I mean, people always say she was really just hospitality, you know, fixing everything up nice, make a good place, get up, cook breakfast for everybody, even if it’s twenty of them" (220). I've been through many things: I've been serving in the Air Force; I've been heavily in debt. Luckily Rebecca Skloot contacted with me and other family member, and we fought together to gain recognition for my mother. We finally did it -- researches about our mother's cells are published as Hela cells. BBC also recorded a documentary which told the story of my mother and her cells.
Here are two links about the story of my mother, Henrietta Lacks, and what are Hela cells.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/entries/cc9e5db9-5b2f-3297-bb17-dbc119c4ad8d
https://science.howstuffworks.com/amp/life/cellular-microscopic/hela-cell.htm?__twitter_impression=true
"I am proud of my mother for what she has done fore science, I just hope Hopkins and some of the other folks who benefited off her cells will do something to honor her and make right with the family" (457).
I disagree with David Korn's opinion, which is “ people are morally obligated to allow their bits and pieces to be used to advance knowledge to help others. Since everybody benefits, everybody can accept the small risks of having their tissue scraps used in research”. I believe everyone has the right to decide whether his/her body pieces to be used for research or not. No one is "morally obligated"; it is a honorable, noble thing to do if a person decide to donate a scrap of his tissue for research, but no one should feel bad if he decide not to do so.
Citation: Skloot, Rebecca. “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” Broadway Books, 2011-03-08. iBooks.
Only thing we knew was that her cells have some significant contributions to science. "Her cells have been blowed up in nuclear bombs. From her cells came all these different creations—medical miracles like polio vaccines, some cure for cancer and other things, even AIDS. She liked takin care of people, so it make sense what she did with them cells. I mean, people always say she was really just hospitality, you know, fixing everything up nice, make a good place, get up, cook breakfast for everybody, even if it’s twenty of them" (220). I've been through many things: I've been serving in the Air Force; I've been heavily in debt. Luckily Rebecca Skloot contacted with me and other family member, and we fought together to gain recognition for my mother. We finally did it -- researches about our mother's cells are published as Hela cells. BBC also recorded a documentary which told the story of my mother and her cells.
Here are two links about the story of my mother, Henrietta Lacks, and what are Hela cells.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/entries/cc9e5db9-5b2f-3297-bb17-dbc119c4ad8d
https://science.howstuffworks.com/amp/life/cellular-microscopic/hela-cell.htm?__twitter_impression=true
"I am proud of my mother for what she has done fore science, I just hope Hopkins and some of the other folks who benefited off her cells will do something to honor her and make right with the family" (457).
I disagree with David Korn's opinion, which is “ people are morally obligated to allow their bits and pieces to be used to advance knowledge to help others. Since everybody benefits, everybody can accept the small risks of having their tissue scraps used in research”. I believe everyone has the right to decide whether his/her body pieces to be used for research or not. No one is "morally obligated"; it is a honorable, noble thing to do if a person decide to donate a scrap of his tissue for research, but no one should feel bad if he decide not to do so.
Citation: Skloot, Rebecca. “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” Broadway Books, 2011-03-08. iBooks.
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