Henrietta Lacks and How She Changed the World
Henrietta Lacks was born on August 1, 1920, in Roanoke, Virginia, United States. Originally named Loretta Pleasant, she was raised by her grandfather after her mother died during childbirth in 1924. In her grandfather's home, Henrietta grew up alongside her cousin David. The two would go on to marry in 1941 and have five children together before Henrietta's untimely death in 1951 at just 31 years old. Her Cancer Before her fifth pregnancy, Henrietta felt what she described as a "knot" inside of her. Just months after the birth of her son, she was referred to Johns Hopkins Hospital where…