ILofHL Pages 56-86 Summary The book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is the result of years of research conducted by Skloot on an African American woman suffering from cervical cancer name Henrietta Manca. Lacks' tumor cells are taken and experimented on without his knowledge. These cells, known as HeLa cells, are the first immortal human cells ever cultured. The topic of HeLa cells is at the center of numerous controversial debates. Despite the fact that her cells are considered “one of the most important advances of the last hundred years” (4), little is actually known about the woman behind the cells. Skloot is on a mission to change that and share the story of the woman the cells came from and her family as they deal with the effects these cells have on them. At this point in the book, readers learn how far HeLa cells are traveling in the name of research. George Gey, the man who first grew Lacks cells in his Lacks Town, is about a mile long street where most of Henrietta's family lives. While in Lacks Town, Skloot meets Lacks' first cousin, Hector "Cootie" Henry, and he invites her in to talk about Henrietta. Henry says of Henrietta: “[…] even her memory is pretty much dead now. Everything about Henrietta is dead except those cells” (80). Henry goes on to talk about the way he remembers Lacks. He remembers her as a loving and caring person who cared for him in the past. Henry is also baffled by the existence of his cells existing for so long outside of his body. He says: “[…] they said if we could put all her pieces together, she would now weigh over eight hundred pounds, and Henrietta was never a big girl. It's still growing” (81). So speculate whether or not the situation with the Lacks and HeLa cells has to do with voodoo or if it's all a result of his behavior.