only became more and more anxious and stressed out. She had repeated outbreaks of hives, and then she was diagnosed with high blood pressure and high blood sugar. After learning about her sister, Elsie, who died while institutionalized many years before, Deborah almost suffered a stroke. Then, after the stress of additional family trauma and 9/11, Deborah had a stroke at church and was kept alive by her grandson, who slapped her face to keep her awake. She died of a heart attack right after Mother's Day in 2009.

Deborah died of her sleep in 2009.  She was 60 years old.

Deborah Lacks never appreciated the injustice her family suffered as a result of doctors at John Hopkins taking her cells.  In her diary, Deborah writes about the irony of her mother’s unknowing contribution to medical science.

But I’ve always thought it was strange, if our mother cells done so much for medicine, how come her family can’t afford to see no doctors?  Don’t make no sense. (“Deborah’s Voice,” p. 9)

More than any member of Henrietta’s family, Deborah was angered by the injustice.  At the end of this journal entry she says that she is tired of fighting, but just wants to know who her mother was.  Skloot interviewed Deborah for a whole year, but it took a long time to gain her trust.

Deborah had a difficult life.  She told Skloot she did not want to get rich, but she wished she had health insurance to pay for the drugs she took that her mother’s cells probably helped make.

Skloot was not aware that Deborah had died, though she knew her health was always questionable.  She found out she died in her sleep.  Her brother said she died happy.  Her grandchildren were doing well.  The book was going to be published, and her mother and family would get the recognition they deserved and the children would get some financial support.

The death of Henrietta occurs in Chapter 11, and her autopsy in Chapter 12. It is clear from the description provided in the book that her death was an immensely painful and tragic one. Emmet, who witnessed some of her last moments, describes the pain she was in and how she rose up and thrashed around at times:

Lord... Henrietta rose up out that bed wailin like she been possessed by the devil of pain itself.

When finally she did die, he and other family members felt it was a welcome release because of the pain she experienced and the way that she had to be tied down so she wouldn't thrash too dangerously and hurt herself and others. The autopsy of Henrietta is described from the point of view of Mary, the assistant, who remembers how Henrietta's body had each major organ removed and was then sewn back up at the end. Mary remembers in particular at the end how she looked down at Henrietta's toe nails and saw they were covered in "chipped bright red polish," and she understood that she had been a real person.