I really need people to understand the reason behind me writing this book about my grandmother “Henrietta Lacks”.For those that have never heard of her, she is the first human whose cell line was able to grow in culture, her cells were unlike any other cells, while others cells would die, Henrietta Lacks cells doubled every 20 to 24 hours. Henrietta Lacks Family. DUNDALK — Henrietta Lacks’ grandson, Ron L. Lacks, will publish a book on Jan. 29 called “Henrietta Lacks The Untold Story,” to set the record straight about his grandmother’s life from the perspective of people who actually knew and were apart of her. In January 1951 she went to Johns Hopkins Hospital - the only hospital in the area that treated black patients at the time - after experiencing abnormal pain and bleeding in her abdomen. The cells taken from her body were code-named HeLa cells, and they have been continuously involved in medical research ever since.They continue to reproduce, replicating some of the most remarkable DNA ever cataloged—DNA made even more remarkable by the seeming ordinariness of Lacks’ life. 3. Upon learning the truth about the HeLa cells, the Lacks family became concerned the sample had been taken without Henrietta’s permission and were angry that “these other people,” as one cousin stated, “are making billions and billions” while many of the Lacks still couldn’t afford insurance. 17 Facts About The Amazing Story Of Henrietta Lacks 1. Even after Skloot published The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the Lacks children still had to deal with scientists violating their rights. Henrietta Lacks was born Loretta Pleasant on August 1, 1920, in Roanoke, Virginia. 2. According to Nature , a team of German scientists headed by Lars Steinmetz published the genome for HeLa cells online without the family's permission in 2013. At some point, she changed her name to Henrietta. Henrietta Lacks was born Loretta Pleasant, on August 1, 1920 in Roanoke, Virginia. Henrietta Lacks, née Loretta Pleasant, (born August 1, 1920, Roanoke, Virginia, U.S.—died October 4, 1951, Baltimore, Maryland), American woman whose cervical cancer cells were the source of the HeLa cell line, research on which contributed to numerous important scientific advances. Henrietta Lacks was just 31 when she died, but in a way, she’s still alive.