The Lansing Community College “One Book One LCC”initiative this year has focused on a community read of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”, and it concludes Tuesday night with a chance to hear from two of her grandchildren. Lacks died in 1951, and cells from her tumor, taken for research without her consent, have led to ethical debates. Jeri Lacks Whye and David Lacks Jr. will be at LCC on Tuesday.Henrietta Lacks had an aggressive strain of cervical cancer, and the HeLa cells taken from her without her knowledge have been used in tens of thousands of medical experiments. The knowledge gained through that research has impacted the lives of countless cancer patients.
Current State’s Scott Pohl talks with David Lacks Jr. and Jeri Lacks Whye.