Not only was statue of her dedicated today in downtown Roanoke across from the municipal building - this is also "Henrietta Lacks Day," across the Commonwealth noted Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea Senior. Unique cancer cells harvested from Lacks, who died in 1951, are still being used for research today. Lea also noted that while the
Born in Roanoke, the impact of Henrietta Lacks lives on wvtf.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wvtf.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Roanoke native is considered the "mother of modern medicine" because cells harvested from her body after her death in 1951 are been essential to major medical breakthroughs.