The book “The immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” is a story full of sadness, sorrow, as well as determination and triumph. From the comments I have read on this book, I am under impression that most of the readers sympathize with Henrietta Lacks and her family, blaming John Hopkins for taking her cells without acknowledgement from her family. Most of the readers also feel that her immediate family deserves some forms of monetary compensation from John Hopkins and the companies that grow and sell Hela cells.
I discussed this story with my students in the class. When I said that the family deserved some forms of monetary compensation, especially if they were poor and could not afford medical insurance, a student blurted out: it was not anybody’s fault that they were poor, and they were responsible for their own lives.
I was shocked by her remarks, because I always feel that people who have suffered unnecessarily deserve a better treatment, deserve some forms of compensation, and deserve some kinds of acknowledgement, just like the Holocaust survivors have right to ask more, and the descendants of slaves are entitled to certain privileges, and Chinese have a reason to hate Japanese and take revenge on them. Now her words struck me and I realized suddenly that every person has its own responsibility to live his or her own life and to make the world a better place. We can’t depend on other people or even our close relatives for our happiness and well being.
Then I remember this sentence “God helps those who help themselves.” It is so true.
