In 1951 Henrietta Lacks, a young African American mother of five, visited The Johns Hopkins Hospital for vaginal bleeding. Soon after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. A sample of her cancer cells was sent to Dr. George Gey's lab. What he discovered was that Mrs. Lacks’ cells were unlike any of the others he had ever seen: where other cells would die, Mrs. Lacks' cells doubled every 20 to 24 hours. Although Mrs. Lacks ultimately passed away on October 4, 1951, at the age of 31, her cells continue to impact the world.

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