Story Context The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is the true story of a poor Southern African-American tobacco farmer who died in 1951 at the very young age of 31 of cervical cancer. Little did he know that the cells taken from his tumor, obtained without his consent, continued to live and have become one of the most important tools in medicine today. Although Henrietta's story was full of legal and ethical questions, the story was full of success and heartache. Success for science as its cells served as advancements in medical research and development; however he grieved for Henrietta and her family. This story happened during a time of segregation in the United States, when Henrietta Lacks believed she was receiving the best possible treatment for her illness. Unfortunately, at the time doctors believed that cancer could be treated with radium, which we now know can actually increase the risk of cancer, and cell research was just beginning in medicine. Henrietta's journey began with her medical treatments occurring in a “colored” ward of John Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s and ending in a white laboratory where the freezers are filled with HeLa cells; Now, his children and grandchildren live in East Baltimore and still struggle with the legacy of his cells. Henrietta's cancer cells were taken from her body and given to a scientist named George Gey. Her cells were the first to live and grow outside the body for an extended period of time, and are still alive today, despite having been dead for more than sixty years. The adopted name was HeLa cell, but Henrietta Lacks remains essentially unknown and is buried in an unmarked grave next to her mother. These cells have been vital to the development... halfway through the document... good of science and humanity and to this we owe his respect. References National Institute of Health Belmont Report (1979) Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/belmont.html.NBC News. NIH finally makes peace with Henrietta Lacks' family - And it's about time. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://www.nbcnews.com/health/nih-finally-makes-good-henrietta-lacks-family-its-about-time-6C10867941.Skloot, Rebecca. The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Random House, 2010. The Scientist. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/36098/title/Debating-Bioethics-Openly/.United States. HIPAA Privacy Policy Summary. US Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/summary/.