The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2010

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Chapters 33-38Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 3: “Immortality”

Chapter 33 Summary

In 2001, having arranged for Deborah to see Henrietta’s cells, Skloot now tries to fulfil her second promise: finding out what happened to Elsie. The two women travel to Crownsville Hospital Center, formerly the Hospital for the Negro Insane. Though Crownsville has lost many of its records, they manage to find information about Elsie, including a photo, but it is a horrific discovery. In contrast to a picture Deborah has of Elsie as a young child, in which she is beautiful and well cared for, Crownsville’s photo of Elsie as a teenager shows her screaming, with a bruised and swollen face, and her head twisted to one side. Paul Lurz, Crownsville’s director of performance and improvement, confirms that Crownsville was an unpleasant place in the 1940s and 1950s, with little funding for black patients who were kept in inhumane conditions. Most disturbing of all for Deborah is the fact that scientists often conducted research on patients without consent, including, in epileptic patients such as Elsie, drilling into their skulls and draining the fluid from their brains in order to take x-rays.

Chapter 34 Summary

Deborah is deeply distressed about Elsie’s experiences at Crownsville—she tries to hide it, but her behavior suggests she is on the verge of a breakdown. That night, after months of deliberation, she finally gives Skloot permission to look at Henrietta’s medical records, though she will not allow her to make photocopies and makes her promise to include only brief extracts in the book. As they look through the records together, Deborah is in an acute emotional state, veering from excitement to panic and suspicion. At one point, her paranoia gets the better of her, and she becomes convinced that Skloot is working on behalf of John Hopkins—she loses her temper and slams Skloot against a wall. Skloot, for the first time, loses patience and shouts at Deborah. After a few minutes, Deborah calms down and, by way of explanation, reminds Skloot that she was tricked by the conman, Cofield.

Chapter 35 Summary

The next day, Deborah is covered in hives, but she insists she does not need a doctor. She and Skloot travel to Clover and take photos outside Henrietta’s childhood home before going to visit Henrietta’s sister, Gladys, and her son Gary. Gary, a Christian preacher and healer, is concerned about Deborah’s agitated state and encourages her to calm down. He then performs a soul cleansing on Deborah, asking God’s help to take away the “burden of the cells”. Skloot is extremely surprised and a little uncomfortable when Gary says that Miss Rebecca (Skloot) will now take the burden from Deborah and carry it for her. Nonetheless, Deborah is noticeably calmer after the cleansing: “Thanks Cuz […] I feel so light!” (293).

Chapter 36 Summary

As Deborah visits the doctor, Skloot talks to Gary, who explains the Lacks family’s religious beliefs. From their view, Henrietta has been chosen by God to heal the sick, and therefore has come back to life in the form of her immortal cells. As Gary says: “Henrietta was chosen […] And when the Lord chooses an angel to do his work, you never know what they going to come back looking like” (295). Gary’s explanation enables Skloot to understand the Lacks family’s point of view regarding HeLa and why they struggle to accept the scientific explanation.

Chapter 37 Summary

In 2001, Deborah’s doctor warns her that she is dangerously close to a stroke or heart attack and must avoid stress. She and Skloot agree that she will no longer come on research trips, though she still wants to Skloot to inform her of every detail. Skloot is careful to tell Deborah only the positive things she uncovers in order to avoid distressing her. However, Deborah is still determined to give a speech at the National Foundation for Cancer Research conference.

Deborah is also under a lot of stress from the family; her brothers still want to sue the scientists, and her son Alfred is about to go on trial for armed robbery and attempted murder. Alongside this, a much bigger tragedy is about to erupt: the conference is to take place in Washington DC on September 11th, 2001. Skloot is on her way to DC when she hears the news that the first plane has hit the World Trade Center; a friend warns her that it is not safe to go to DC. By the time she gets home, the Pentagon has been hit, along with the Ronald Reagan building, where the Henrietta Lacks conference was due to take place.

A few days later, Deborah suffers a stroke and is rushed to hospital. She makes a full recovery, and the family gathers round to support her. Two months later, Skloot joins them for the baptism of Sonny’s granddaughter, JaBrea. During the service, the family invites Skloot to the pulpit to tell the whole family about HeLa and the book she is writing about Henrietta.

Chapter 38 Summary

In January 2009, Skloot makes another trip to Clover, only to discover that the whole town has been razed and nothing remains. She also recounts several sad losses that have taken place in the last few years. In 2002, Gary died suddenly of a heart attack, followed by Cliff’s brother Fred, and Henrietta’s husband, Day. In 2003, Sonny had a quintuple bypass, which left him $125,000 in debt because he could not afford health insurance. Zakariyya continues to struggle with anger, while Deborah has left her second husband, James Pullum, and moved into an assisted-living apartment.

In 2009, when Skloot discovers the remains of Clover, the book is completed, and Deborah wants Skloot to read it through to her before publication. However, despite repeated calls, Deborah has not responded. A call to Sonny reveals tragic news: Deborah has died of a heart attack, though the family and Skloot take comfort from the fact that she was happy at the end of her life and died peacefully.

Chapters 33-38 Analysis

The visit to Crownsville is one of the saddest and most disturbing parts of the book. Elsie’s tragic story was by no means unique, and the information that Skloot and Deborah uncover regarding Elsie’s last few years provides significant insight into the treatment of those with learning disabilities and/or mental illness—particularly those who were black. This is yet another way that the scientific and medical community has blurred the lines of morality to serve their own purposes. Deborah’s reaction, in which she becomes acutely agitated and physically ill, is completely understandable, but her violent eruption pushes Skloot to the limit.

It’s telling that Sonny can’t afford his medical bills, given what his family has contributed to the medical community and the amount of money that researchers have made off of Henrietta’s cells. He continues in the cycle of poverty with no help from those who profited off of his mother.

It becomes clear just how much patience and empathy Skloot has had throughout the whole research process, as she allows the Lacks family to vent their feelings and treats them with the utmost respect. As a result, Deborah always returns to Skloot once she has calmed down. Though Skloot is a little unnerved by the soul cleansing carried out by Gary, she accepts the family’s religious views and, as she says at the beginning of the book, she is open-minded enough to allow the Lacks family to challenge her own scientific beliefs. When Gary explains the family’s belief that Henrietta was chosen by God to help others, Skloot is empathetic and respectful, even though she herself is not religious. Later, at JaBrea’s baptism, when Skloot is invited into the pulpit to speak about HeLa and the book, it is clear that she has earned the trust and respect of the whole family.