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Hello, my name is David Lacks, and I am the husband of the famous Henrietta Lacks. My wife and I knew each other for as long as we can remember, as we were raised in under the same roof, in the very same room. Henrietta and I knew we were in love since the teenager years, as she had our first child at age 14. In this blog, I will explain how I was seen throughout the book and how unhappy I am with the way she was treated at Johns Hopkins.
I am seen as a very controversial and unlikeable character in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. I am known for being a terrible husband and even worse father.Characters see me as a terrible husband for my constant cheating on Henrietta. Not only would I go and sleep with other women, but I would gain STI's and share them with my wife. I may even be blamable for the mental issues my daughter Elsie has, as the syphilis I gave my wife may have affected her brain in the womb. She is no longer my problem, though, as she died in an institution. This quote describes the way I feel about her, “When Day finally told her, all he said was that Elsie was deaf and dumb and she’d died in an institution when she was fifteen” (230). I was also shown to treat my children monstrously in the book. The certain scene in which I am most well known for being a horrible father was watching my daughter get harassed and abused in the backseat of my car, and not doing anything about it. As shown in this quote, it can make me seem like a very bad father. “In the car with Day driving and Ethel in the passenger seat..As Day drove with his arm around Ethel in front, Galen would grab Deborah in the backseat, forcing his hands under her shirt, in her pants, between her legs...Deborah would just stare out the window, praying for Day to drive faster as she pushed Galen’s hands away again and again" (Skloot 224). People nay see me as a bad father for not standing up for my duaghter, but I just see it as a silly teenage boy looking for love.
I am also here to explain my unhappiness with my wife's treatment at Johns Hopkins. The countless dollars spent on gas back and forth to the hospital is my first complaint. Couldn't you have just kept her there so i did not have to constantly drive her around? Secondly, my wife visited your care center multiple times before her pain was taken seriously and X-rayed. I would really have liked to know about the cancer earlier on. Thirdly, I was told the testing of Henrietta's cells was to only be researched on for the benefit of my family. I was not told once her cells would soon be used internationally as one of the most important scientific findings of all time. Lastly, I would have greatly appreciated at least some sort of recognition for my wife and my family about these cells when information on them was first released. The fact i had no idea millions of pieces of my wife's body were still alive is quite disturbing. Also, my family could have greatly benefited from the money.
Quote Response:
“I think people are morally obligated to allow their bits and pieces to be used to advance knowledge to help others. Since everybody benefits, everybody can accept the small risks of having their tissue scraps used in research.”
I partially-agree with this quote. I believe that, similar to what is stated in the quote, it is morally right for people to donate their “bits and pieces” to be used to help others. However, I do not believe you are “morally obligated”. I also believe that those who do choose to donate their bodies deserve compensation and recognition for allowing their bodies to be worked on. There should never be another scenario similar to my wife’s where no appreciation is shown for a long time after. I also feel that people donating "bits and pieces" should be completely informed on what is going to be done. When the doctors at Hopkins asked to take Henrietta "bits and pieces" for testing, I was told it was only to help my family. Not once did the doctors say her cells would be tested for their longevity, and eventually be sold around the world.
Tweets:
Some people criticize me for not stepping in while I watched my daughter get abused. I say a smack here and there is healthy #NHSHenrietta
Thank you to Susan Hsu for testing my family member's blood to see if they have the same deadly cancer as my wife #thanks #NHSHenrietta
After seeing what Henrietta went through, no matter how bad my gangrene gets, I will refuse to get it treated. #NHSHenrietta
When Rebecca called me for the first time, I told her that she should talk to the cells, not me. Then hung up. #winning #NHSHenrietta
February 1 is Henrietta Lacks day in Baltimore County! What a great tribute to my wife. #NHSHenrietta
X-ray treatment left my wife infertile. Would have appreciated the doctors telling us that was a side effect before-hand #NHSHenrietta
Even during radium treatment, my wife kept up on her red finger and toe nails and never seemed ill #warrior #beatcancer #NHSHenrietta
To learn more about the type of cancer my wife had, please visit https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms?cdrid=46419 … #NHShenrietta
#tb Henrietta and I were reunited. I moved here to earn money for the family. Months later, I made enough so they could come! #NHShenrietta
I had to compete with my other cousin "Crazy Joe" for my lover, Henrietta. Thank god I was the the winner! #love #mywife #NHShenrietta
I was raised with Henrietta, and eventually married her in 1941! Oh how the times have changed #love #firstcousin #NHShenrietta
#tb to January 29, 1951 where Henrietta first told the gynecologist about the "knot" on her womb #scary #nervous #NHShenrietta
Agreed. It took far too long for us to know our beloved Henrietta's cells are still alive #NHSHenrietta
Replying to @Margaret_Gey
or, you could just release my wife's real name. Give her the credit she (and our family) deserves. #NHSHenrietta
Replying to @SirConfield
they tricked my wife and me! Us being a different race gave them no authority to take advantage of her body. #NHSHenrietta
let's get that money! I support you! #NHSHenrietta
Replying to @fakedavidlacks
I had to compete with my other cousin "Crazy Joe" for my lover, Henrietta. Thank god I was the the winner! #love #mywife #NHShenrietta
tell me about it! I agreed for the doctors to conduct an autopsy, not a full blown cell harvest. #NHSHenrietta
Visit http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-complications/syphilis-during-pregnancy/ … to hear about why my daughter could have suffered mental illness #NHSHenrietta
HeLa cells cost $435 a culture on ATCC. Visit https://www.atcc.org/products/all/CCL-2.aspx … to see. Imagine how my family could have benefited from the money.
Replying to @LacksSonny
It is terrible doctors would not allow the real name of the woman behind HeLa cells to be released for years on end #lame #NHSHenrietta
Tweet Reflection: Throughout each of my tweets, I attempted to exemplify the true character of David “Day” Lacks. Within my tweets, I showed my understanding of this character by including specific assets of race, incest, and real life moments of Day. I also meaningfully replied numerous times. In my replies, I strongly stated my opinion that Henrietta deserved more credit, that the doctors failed to inform us with numerous, important precautions, and that the poor Lacks’ family could have greatly benefited from the worth of HeLa cells.
Citation:
Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Broadway, 2017. Print.
Blog Author: Mike Donnelly - IB Biology HL
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