Henrietta Lacks (1920–1951) was an African American woman whose cells changed the course of medical history. Born Loretta Pleasant in Roanoke, Virginia, she grew up in a working-class family and later married her cousin, David Lacks. Together they raised five children in Turner Station, a tight-knit African American community outside Baltimore, Maryland.
In 1951, at the age of 31, Henrietta sought treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital after experiencing severe pain. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and without her knowledge or consent, doctors collected samples of her tumor cells. Unlike any cells seen before, Henrietta’s continued to live and multiply outside the body. These “HeLa cells,” as they became known, became the first immortal human cell line.
HeLa cells have been used in countless medical breakthroughs—from the development of the polio vaccine to cancer treatments, in vitro fertilization, and even COVID-19 research. Yet for decades, Henrietta’s identity remained unknown, and her family was kept in the dark about the scientific use of her cells.
Today, Henrietta Lacks is honored as the “mother of modern medicine.” Her story has sparked vital conversations about ethics, consent, and racial inequities in healthcare. Though she died young, her cells continue to save lives around the world, making her one of the most influential figures in medical history.
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