Deborah Lacks's Final Years and Legacy

Key Economic Insight

In January 2009, Clover, Virginia, Henrietta Lacks's childhood home, was discovered to be completely gone, razed to an empty field. Previous landmarks such as the post office, movie theater, grocery, and clothing store were no longer present. The narrator collected splinters of brick and small white plaster tiles from the site, remnants of the town, viewing this disappearance as a tangible loss of Henrietta's history.

This period was marked by significant deaths within the Lacks family. Gary died suddenly in 2002 at 52 from a heart attack, followed by Cliff's brother Fred from throat cancer, Day from a stroke, and Cootie by suicide with a shotgun. Deborah expressed that 'Death just following us and this story everywhere we go'. Personally, Deborah left her husband Pullum in 2004, moving into her own assisted-living apartment. She worked full-time for two years at her daughter Tonya's assisted-living home, cooking and cleaning for five or six men, but quit due to physical strain from stairs. Her 2006 divorce filing showed a monthly income of $732 from Social Security Disability and $10 in food stamps, with an empty checking account.

Deborah's unreturned calls after a book's completion eventually led to the discovery of her death from a heart attack on May 19, 2009, found by Sonny in her bed, smiling. Despite her struggles, she found joy in her grandchildren's progress: Little Alfred, 12, was doing well in school; Erika, granddaughter of Lawrence and Bobbette, gained admission to Penn State and later earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, pursuing a master's in psychology, inspired by Henrietta's story, becoming the first Lacks descendant to attend graduate school. Davon, 17, was graduating high school, having promised Deborah he would continue learning about Henrietta. Deborah believed heaven resembled Clover, Virginia, expressed a desire for a calm death, and even considered returning as HeLa cells to 'do good together' with her mother. Sonny placed a lock of her hair in Henrietta's Bible, alongside Henrietta's and Elsie's, believing she was finally reunited with them.