Famous Women Who Battled Gynecological Cancers

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Henrietta Lacks

Henrietta Lacks went down in medical history after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1951. Unbeknownst to Lacks, two samples of her cervix were removed and given to researcher George Gey who realized her cells could be kept alive and grow. He was able to isolate one specific cell, multiply it, and start an immortal cell line, which he named HeLa. This was an amazing discovery and a boon to medical research, but a huge violation to Lacks, who never knew her cells were taken. Later, the cancer spread throughout Lacks’ body and she passed away in October of 1951.

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