The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Page #3

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Any time HeLa

came in contact with another cell,

it would completely take over.

HeLa was unstoppable.

It was traveling through ventilation systems,

moving from lab to lab.

That's why they wanted samples of your DNA,

so they could tell which cells

had been contaminated by HeLa

and which had not.

Deborah, they weren't testing you for cancer.

They were just using you

and your brothers for research.

So, if it hadn't have been for her cells

causing all of that damage,

they never would have come

knocking on our door?

And what Hopkins done to my mama

never would've started to come out?

Mess with Henrietta

and she sic HeLa on your ass.

I bet you she's here right now,

watching every move you make.

This all I got about my mother's cells.

Went to the market.

Something told me to pick this up.

- Scared me half to death.

- I can understand.

- This is...

- What about this?

And just like Hopkins stole my mama's cells,

this doctor steals a woman's eggs

and cloned an army of little boys

that look just like her dead son.

Deborah, that's just science fiction.

It all sound like science fiction.

Then I started thinking,

"How many people walking around London

looking like my mother?"

Why would there be...

"The cells known as HeLa

"could populate a village with their clones."

They didn't clone her. They cloned her cells.

I wanna learn everything I can

about my mama's cells.

I wanna go to labs, and I wanna meet people.

Every time I think about

what Hopkins did to my mother,

my... My blood just grows cold,

but even one day...

One day, I'm gonna even go to Hopkins

'cause I am tired of wanting to know and...

And... And hiding.

I've been carrying this around

for a long time.

It's a Mother's Day card.

"May the spirit of the Lord

and Savior be with you

"on this day on which you are honored

"for all the love that you have given

your family and your loved ones.

"From your daughter, Deborah."

I have something for you.

They're Henrietta's cells.

It's a gift.

A research doctor at Johns Hopkins.

It's his way of saying thank you to you

for everything

that your mother has done for science.

In vitro fertilization, the AIDS cocktail,

chemotherapy drugs.

Deborah, there isn't a person alive

who hasn't benefited

from your mother's cells.

Who's this?

My big sister Elsie.

Died so young, never knew her.

She was so beautiful.

She's pretty.

Are these your mother's medical records?

- No!

- Oh!

No... I'm so sorry, Deborah.

I wasn't trying to...

That's right, you wasn't.

What you trying to do

with my mama's medical records?

Nothing! Nothing.

I thought you put them there for me.

We are not ready for that!

I wasn't trying to do anything bad at all.

I just wanna learn the story of your mom,

just like you.

Just like Sir Lord. Don't know who to trust.

Deborah! Deborah!

Got a phone call

this morning from my brother Zakariyya.

You know, things ain't been so good for him

since he got out of jail,

but I'm pretty sure he about ready

to start talking about our mother again.

So, you're pretty sure?

Long as we get there

before he start drinking, you'll be fine.

Boys!

I don't want y'all running off

all around here anyway, okay? Mmm-hmm.

There he is.

Hey, Zakariyya.

Said you were gonna be here in an hour!

Didn't wanna be late, so we left early.

I'm not ready!

Well, take your time.

Goddamn kids!

Listen, I'm gonna be right up there...

- Where?

- In that window.

If anything get funny, just wave.

Boys, come over here. Let's go.

Hi. I'm Rebecca.

Dale said you had some magazine.

Yes. Yeah.

This is an article I wrote on your mother.

- Do you mind if I...

- You work for Hopkins?

Oh, no, no, no, no.

They just published the article.

I work for myself.

Over here.

- My hearing.

- Sorry.

I guess I don't count.

Sonny not the youngest.

No, I didn't do the captions at all,

like I say there...

Got a couple of dummies for brothers.

Don't have enough sense to spit.

My father buried my mother

in an unmarked grave,

and when that fool die,

I don't wanna know where he buried either.

He need a ride to the hospital,

he can take a cab.

I used to go there.

To Johns Hopkins?

I needed money.

Checked myself into this program.

A research program?

One time, paid me money

just to watch me sleep.

Another time, I needed new eyeglasses,

so I let them test this drug.

If they'd have known I was Henrietta's son,

who knows what they'd do?

She was sick when she was

pregnant with you, right?

I figure I had to start fighting

before I was born.

They say her cells all this and that.

Didn't do her no good.

Didn't do any of us any good.

I hope that George Gray is burning in hell.

- His name's actually George Gey...

- Who cares what his name is,

what he did was wrong!

God handles that!

God wanna have a disease cure,

He provide one for Himself!

You don't mess with that!

You don't lie and clone people

behind their back!

If he was here, I would kill him dead.

Stick a black pitchfork up his ass.

Y'all done reporting?

Me and Zakariyya, we a lot alike.

We can't go shutting our feelings on and off

just like everybody else.

Once something's done, it stays inside.

Don't go away.

Come on.

Come on and walk us back to the car.

"Welcome to Clover!"

I feel welcome.

Looks like somebody went out for lunch

a couple of decades ago

and forgot to come back.

How you doing?

- Your muffler! Your muffler!

- What?

Oh, yes. Thank you, sir.

I got it. Muffler.

Let's see if you and that tape recorder

can get my mama's family to talk.

So, Gladys is Henrietta's sister.

And Aunt Sadie is her cousin and

best friend from when they were girls.

Whoo!

Looky here, looky here!

Miss Sadie!

Oh, Deborah, so good to see you!

And there's Cousin Cootie over there!

Cousin Cootie over there! Ooh!

- Cousin!

- Cousin Cliff, Cousin Cliff.

It's good to see you.

- Y'all meet my reporter.

- Hello!

- Good to see you.

- Look at Aunt Gladys up here!

How you doing, Aunt Gladys?

Aunt Gladys, how you doing?

How you doing? Nice to see you.

- Come on in the house.

- Nice and cool.

Just so I don't miss anything.

Mmm.

So, how long did you know Henrietta for?

We don't believe in

telling stories on the dead.

I hear she was a very nice person.

A very good-conditioned person.

Pretty teeth.

So, what else can you tell me about her?

Well...

Hennie made the good come out of you.

She made life come alive.

Every year, a carnival would come to town

and we'd ride the Ferris wheel.

And when our car stopped at the top...

We'd scream, just scream!

Cootie, when did you move to Turner Station?

December 1942.

If the Japanese ain't attacked,

colored never would've had jobs

over there at Bethlehem Steel.

- That's right.

- Day used to work the night shift,

so around 11:
00, me and Hennie

would sneak over to the Twin Pines.

Amos Milburn playing on the box.

Down the Road.

Me and Hennie would swing out heavy!

Swinging out heavy!

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