A CRMH sculpture honors Henrietta Lacks

We gathered with our Virginia Tech Carilion partners—Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC (FBRI) and the VTC School of Medicine (VTCSOM)—to dedicate sculptures that help us tell the profound story of Henrietta Lacks. She and her famous HELA cells have touched medicine, science and research in numerous different ways.

One statue of Mrs. Lacks was dedicated at Roanoke’s Henrietta Lacks Plaza in downtown Roanoke. Another equally significant but smaller sculpture—known as a maquette—was dedicated near the Burden Boat sculpture in the CRMH lobby to remind us that her story continues in our hospital and so many others. FBRI and VTCSOM dedicated identical smaller sculptures, now located in the Riverside 4 (FBRI) and Riverside 2 (VTCSOM) main lobbies.

The CRMH sculpture explains that Henrietta Lacks was born and spent her early years in Roanoke, was diagnosed and treated for cervical cancer at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and died on Oct. 4, 1951, not knowing her cells were taken by her doctor for research. Since informed consent wasn’t regular practice then, the taking of her cells occurred without Mrs. Lacks or her family members knowing or granting permission.

But that’s not the end of Mrs. Lacks’s story—her cells became “immortal,” supporting over 70 years of worldwide medical discoveries. They’re in drugs to treat Parkinson’s and leukemia, and they even helped create the polio and COVID-19 vaccines.

"As a not-for-profit healthcare system, Carilion is committed to improving the health of the communities we serve, including the unique and diverse individuals who are our family members, co-workers and friends," said CEO Nancy Howell Agee. "We further our mission through our commitment to improving health equity."

"The CRMH maquette helps us further acknowledge Henrietta Lacks and reinforces that we understand her place in Roanoke’s complicated history that regrettably included a time of segregated health care," said NL Bishop, PhD, senior vice president and chief of Diversity, Equity and Education Partners. "It helps us affirm our determined commitment to identify and close gaps in health inequities."

We honor Henrietta Lacks for her cells’ role in medicine that has saved lives time and time again. And we celebrate her because her story has helped the health care community change the ethics guiding how we care for our patients by protecting their privacy and their rights to privacy—and how we continue to care for them.