Therefore, I decided to make a deal with TeLinde: He would provide me with cervical cancer tissue, and I response for attempting to grow it. Although I made a deal wi him, I was still unconfident towards the experiment, since in all the previous history, scientists did not know what exactly cells needed to survive, or how to supply them with those nutrients.
I worked in Hopkins’basement, and employed a lab assistant who named Mary Kubicek, a young smart lady, to sleep by the camera at night to ensure that it was remaining stable. Using this process, I was able to film the incredibly slow process of cell growth.
Interestingly, because of the problem of contamination, Because Bacteria and multiple other microorganisms exist everywhere, my wife, Margaret, had become obsessed with cleanliness-she even hired a woman who named Minnie to clean the glassware used in the lab-.
Life will never betray those people who puts efforts on their work. Two days after Henrietta's cells were sent to my home, when Mary checks on Henrietta’s cells, she founds out that small cell growths at the bottom of each tube. In one the following morning, when I walked in the laboratory, while Mary was crushing towards me, she was shouting as the same time:" '"Henrietta’s cells double in size every morning' !" I told Mary keep putting her eyes on it, because those cells could die at any time. Surprisingly, they didn't.
I was so excited about that, so i made a announcement about my lab may have created the world’s first immortal human cell line.
Since sharing is the best way to spread knowledge, at the same time, is a stimulation of development, I sent the samples to every scientist who wanted them for cancer research for free.
As more scientist receive the cell sample, I start to question myself: should I credit Henrietta or no. This had been a huge question around my mind each time when I walked in my laboratory and looked at those fast-growing samples.
On one hand, immortal cells has been a distasteful, and even largely ignored area, so it didn't matter if I credit her or not. No one will notice that. But from the morally ethical side, it is immortal to take one's cell and take advantage from it. However, if I didn't do that, it will not hurt me. Henrietta probably was going to be happy when she hear from me that thousand of life would be saved by her contribution. I convinced myself.
Although I had decided not to give credit to her, I just felt guilty when I saw them. Finally, I decided to hold her name back firstly.
Years after, Henrietta was sick again; I even heard from my wife that her neighbors even could hear her cries from a block away by the pain. Therefore, she got sent to my hospital on August 8th. What a great chance to start my research again! So I ordered the doctor to take more cells from her cervix. Unfortunately, according to the result I got from her cervix cell, since her body got polluted by the toxins, her cells dead almost immediately. No matter how much painkiller we gave to her, they didn't work. As the result, I went to visit this poor but tough lady. My colleagues, Laure Aurelian , went to visit her as well. I standed in front of her bed, sit down ver slowly, and picked up her hand. I could tell by her eyes that she was suffering, but tough as her, she didn't complain about anything. I felt very guilty about my decision of didn't give credit to her, so I moved my sight to those medicine bottles next to her bed. I asked myself seriously: shouldn't this strong lady deserve the credit? The answer was firm: Yes. But I probably should not put that out right now, since there is going to too much rumors going on, thus I can not focus on my research. I stand up again, gently put her delicate hand back in the quilt, looked at her into her eyes, and said:" you cells were going to 'help save the lives of countless people' ". After saying that sentence, I had no courage to look at her reaction, and walked, more detail, escaped from her room.
Months later, I sadly heard the new of her death. I knew this is my last chance to do the reserch on her, so I asked the doctor if they can perform an autopsy to see if other cells in her body will grow like HeLa. By the agreement from Day, they were able to do so. While we were gathering sample, I skimmed Mary was looking at her red toenail, and then, her facial expression became very weird, but I didn't know why.
There were years after I did my first experiment, many of my fellow colleagues asked me to publish my paper, so I can get credit from it. But I didn't want to. I always told them that I was too busy, however, the guilt from my heart stopped me by getting all of the credit. After prodding from Mary and my wife, I finally decided to wrote a short abstract but not a long paper. Subsequently, my wife began to simply writing and submitting my work for me. Although I told her I did not want to and I did not deserve all the credit, she always told me that the early I published those paper, the earlier human being can solve the question of cancer. I didn't have anything to say about her response.
In the end, I became the people who suffered by the cancer. That was the most difficult period of time I had ever had in my life. The endless pain and the countless medicines dragged me crazy. The only I want was to get back to my lab and continue my research. However, I could not. So I asked my college to take my cells as samples, but they refused me.
I could not really remember what happened afterwards. The only thing I remembered was the pain crush towards me. Finally, I felt like every single second could be my last moment in this world. I have so many things haven't done yet; I have so many regrets that want to correct them. So in the end of my life, what actually something I can do as a scientist, or human being? I asked my wife came to my bed, and told her that after I died, credited Henrietta as the contributor of the HeLa cells, so she and her family would be happy to see that, and that is the only thing I could do.
Life will end, but science will stay forever.
The End.
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