Henrietta Lacks: Achieving Immortality

Immortality is when an individual is able to have an eternal life. Before I researched on people who achieved immortality, I thought to myself, what do I know about achieving immortality? Achieving immortality is when someone makes an impressive contribution which impacts the world. Whether it is a scientific discovery or something unordinary lives we take immortality all around us. One of the most famous human being who achieved immortality is Henrietta Lacks. Scientists thought that Henrietta Lacks’ cells would be like any other cancer cells, but once they discovered her cells were multiplying rapidly in test tubes; they knew these cells would change scientists’ thinking to another level. J. Doblas, a biologist at Brunel University quoted “That lady has achieved true immortality, both in the test-tube and in the hearts and minds of scientists the world over.” This was a start of something no one had ever thought of, a cure for cancer. So far, Henrietta Lacks’ cells are contributed in the polio vaccine. This information was founded in the novel The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks written by Rebecca Skloot.
Another individual who achieved immortality is Deborah Lacks, the daughter of Henrietta Lacks.
Deborah achieved immortality by her tolerance to other scientists. She found out that scientists were taking her mother’s cells for investigation. Deborah tolerated the fact that other scientists were using her mother’s cells for experimenting. Deborah quoted, “ . Y’all gotta sue John Hopkins, y’all gotta do this and that, but I don’t want that, truth be told, I can’t get mad at science, because it helps people live and I’d be a mess without it”. Without Deborah’s consent, we wouldn’t have gotten the chance to explore in depth with the HeLa
cells. There are other scientists who achieved immortality. The most named is Thomas Edison who invented the Light Bulb. Without his brilliant mind and his capability, we wouldn’t able to see at night and wouldn’t be able to discover more technology. Another example of a scientist is Alexander Fleming, the man who discovered antibiotics. Thousands of people would have continued die today if Alexander Fleming did not revealed antibiotics. These true genius achieved immortality by discovering and benefiting our world becoming a healthier place. Whether it is an invention or an extraordinary discovery, we are always in touched with immortality. Henrietta cells contributed in the world through polio vaccine, Deborah allowed experimentation with the HeLa cells, and other scientists discovered new developments that are currently assisting the world. We as mortals should appreciate the contributors and inventions of these immortals to live a healthy and meaningful life.