few hospitals to treat poor African-Americans at the time, on
January 29, 1951, to diagnose and treat an unusual feeling of
abdominal pain; and
WHEREAS, Following an examination at the hospital, Henrietta
was diagnosed with cervical cancer and began undergoing radium
treatments soon thereafter; and
WHEREAS, Henrietta did not respond well to treatment and her
body was quickly consumed with cancer; and
WHEREAS, Although Henrietta ultimately passed away on October
4, 1951, at the age of 31, her cells continue to impact the
world; and
WHEREAS, During Henrietta's treatment her attending
physician, Dr. Howard Jones, sent a sample of her cancer cells
without her consent to a prominent cancer and virus researcher,
Dr. George Gey, who had begun collecting cells of patients who
visited Johns Hopkins Hospital with cervical cancer; and
WHEREAS, While most of the cancer cells Dr. George Gey
collected died quickly in his lab, he discovered that
Henrietta's cells were unique in that, instead of dying, her
cells doubled every 20 to 24 hours; and
WHEREAS, Henrietta's cells were found to have the capability
to thrive in tissue culture in Dr. Gey's lab and have since been
cloned and shared freely throughout the world for countless
medical undertakings and research; and
WHEREAS, Henrietta's cells, referred to as "HeLa" cells, have
been used to study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones and
viruses on the growth of cancer cells without experimenting on
humans; and
WHEREAS, Henrietta's cells have also been used to test the
effects of radiation and poisons, to study the effects of zero
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