Final :Henrietta Lacks

Henrietta Lacks

Taylor Huffman

When people think or hear of cancer treatments they generally think of chemotherapy. Have they ever thought of what is actually in the chemicals in the chemotherapy?  The main ingredient in those chemicals is HeLa cells. He-La stands for (He) nrietta (La) cks. “Henrietta Lacks was a thirty-two year old African American woman. Henrietta had five children, Lawrence, Elise, Sonny, Zakariyya, Deborah, and her husband Day (David). Henrietta was very a proper young woman. She curled her hair with curlers, painted her nails a deep red, along with a deep red lipstick, and wore a pressed skirt and blouse everyday.” (Skloot, Pg 8 Chap 1) 

“Growing up, she lived in a home house with tobacco fields in Clover with her grandfather. She witnessed death and birth in her house.”(Skloot, Pg1 Chap 3)

I think that if Henrietta Lacks would have known her cells changed science, I believe she would have been delighted her cells have helped millions of people and have created numerous medicines, experiments, expeditions and more. But, the doctors at John Hopkins Hospital took her cells with out consent or even mentioning that they were going to do tests on her cells.

 I think if Dr. TeLinde and Dr. Gey would have asked Henrietta, in my opinion I believe she would have signed off on the experiments, but of course, like any other American, she would have wanted benefits for her family.

 I believe that if the Lacks family would have known earlier in the process that the doctors had taken her cells, The Lacks family could have benefited from the experiments greatly. I also believe that the Lacks family would benefit from the HeLa cell research. Just like any other American family whom have has or has had a relative with a rare disease they get special treatment. The Lacks do not get that special treatment if the doctors would have done the correct procedures they would.  In my opinion Henrietta would want that benefit for her family.

The Lacks family has been through a lot in the past years. I do however think that if Dr. TeLinde and Gey would have done things properly and treated Henrietta like a “white” patient, the situation could be a lot different for Henrietta’s family, and they would not constantly be bombarded with questions from all the different doctors around the world.

I believe that if Henrietta knew how much her cells were worth to science, she would not have approved the idea of Dr. Gey’s lab using her cells without her permission. In my opinion she would have protested that she had not been consented about the samples and that she should get a portion of the profit, those cells were taken from her body and was not even approached about her cells, nor told they were going to be grown in a lab for the doctor’s benefit and profit. I believe the doctors at John Hopkins Hospital took advantage of her because she was black and uneducated. I believe if the scenario would have been different, the hospital would not have taken advantage of the family of Henrietta Lacks, also she would be living in a big house in a crime free neighbor hood and would not have to worry about whether or not they would have the money to pay the bills whether it is a house bill, car or doctors.

The HeLa cells have a long story behind them and the Lacks family has taken many rough roads with these cells starting with Henrietta’s cancer and all the way through out their lives and the John Hopkins Hospital Doctors has taken advantage over a young black woman, left her five children with out a mother, Not enough money to pay for bills and just enough for food. All because the doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital thought that Henrietta Lacks was uneducated and they could cut corners with her procedures and consent forms.

References

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” Author, Skloot, Rebecca Published, 2010

Reflection Post 4

During this class you will read and if you do not read you will not pass easy enough. This class I have learned about how to make a blog, make my way around the internet and get what I need quickly and I have learned how to Scheduel study time in between classes. I reccomend that if you had a hard time studying in high school that you take a study skills course while entering college. Take it from me I hated studying in high sschool and my grades showed it and now that I'm taking this class my grades are tremendous the grades I have are the best I have had. The Best part about this class is all you you have to do is read and take a quiz and do a couple aother things I actually like this class. I hope I like th erest of my classes too!  Right now this is easy and I can actually comprehend the stuff Iam reading about.

Reflection Post 3

One of many ways that HeLa cells are used today is to create the vaccine for polio. A positive for the polio vaccine is that it stimulates the production of the disease, so the cells stop deteriorating the muscular tissue. Another positive outcome of the Polio Vaccine is that it can cure polio but, your doctor has to prescribe the vaccine to you. “There is another vaccine made from the HeLa cells that can prevent polio it is recommended to be given from six weeks to eighteen years of age” (Polio, 2011).

Some negatives of the Polio vaccine are that they do not cure all of the stages and types of polio. One type of polio that can not be completely cured is Paralytic Polio. “Paralytic polio is the type of polio that causes paralysis” (Polio, 2011). The polio disease is a highly contagious disease so yes it is cureable.  It also can have a fatal defect also if it is a strand that can not be cured it gives people diagnosed with the disease.
Cancer treatment is another big treatment that HeLa is used for. HeLa is a string of DNA that has ninety-six chromosomes rather than forty-six chromosomes.  Doctors use HeLa to attack the cancer cells. “The treatments that doctors use HeLa in are chemotherapy, a new study done by MIT that pulling out the microRNA and inserting HeLa into the RNA to attack from the inside out” (Trafton, 2011)

. The critics of this experimental treatment think that this will work and help more then the chemotherapy.   On the political side of the research they believe that the cancer can be treated or the experiment is just a big waste of money. I think that attacking from the inside will help because,the HeLa cells will be attacking from the nucleus out once the nucleus is shut down and has died off. The cancer will not be able to function and will disappear.

One negative of the cancer treatments. Is that the cancer could not be affected and could grow more until it completely takes over the body. HeLa cells multiply in minutes and the origin of the HeLa cells is cancerous, “HeLa like most cells can change when being mutated and while being the “immortal” cell it is also called the “weed” of the labs the HeLa cell grows so quickly that it contaminates all other cell cultures” (Trafton, 2011)
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Works Cited

Polio. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.mamashealth.com/polio.asp

Trafton, A. (2011, September 2). Killing a cancer cell from the inside out synthetic biologists design a gene circuit that, when delivered to cancer cells, forces them to commit suici. Retrieved from http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/cancer-detection-circuit-0902.html

Reflection Post

My refelction on this class is that it has helped me with my study habbits. I also have figured out many different things about college, well studying any way. Most people think that you don't have to take anything extra because it's like high school well it's not you have a little longer deadslines adn the work takes more concentration than in high school.

7 things you should know about a blog

1. What is it 
     it's a profile of where you can post about your daily life or about any thing you desire. and anyone can read it.

2.Whose Creating it
       More often than not The people creating the blogs are normal people like you and me. but that doesn't mean tell them everything about yourself.  you still don't know that specific person.

3. What's it do
   A blog just is another way for people to share their interests or to talk about what they did that day so kind of like facebook or in this case a way to learn about different ways to use on line tools and turn in homework ( kind of).

4. Why is it important
 It's important because it gives you a way to "relive" your stress and express you passion for things like sports, food, photograhy, etc.

5. What are the bad things.
      the bad thing about blogs is because the blog is created but indivisuals, they are not entirely safe also the indivisual can post what ever they please and they can post innaccurate statements, information and etc.

6. Where's it going.
     The "Blogosphere"estimates that there are 50 million bloggers in the world. so I would say it is Highly increasing. many of the bloggers are estimated to be students from all over.

7. How does it help Learning and  Teaching
    It helps the students learn on how to minipulate online tools, and teachers can monitor what is being put on the blogs it also is much easier for students to get informeation from their professor and other students.

Applying to college and graduating high school

So, I have never done a blog before like any other person I had the myspace and all that. but that's not what I'm here to talk about. I'm talking about College Life. Now in High School I was one of the kids that played sports and slacked off when I felt like. Now a Message to all high school SENIORS! DON'T slack off it will come back to bite you and MAKE SURE YOU MAKE ALL DEADLINES! other wise you wont get into college. Now me when it came to applying to schools i only applied to two and got in both. NOw so far I haven't even started school but i am already having to transfer because the school i am currently at does not have all the classes I need for my major so MAKE SURE that the college you are applying to DOES!