By the time September came Henrietta's body was pretty much entirely taken over by tumors that had grown on everything from her lungs to her bladder. The tumors were so bad that they blocked her intestines, making her stomach swell like she was 6 months pregnant. They took over her kidneys, causing her to have blood transfusions one after another because of the toxins that filled her body. Her cousin Emmett Lacks and about 8 other men that Henrietta cared for when they worked at Sparrows Point with Day, went to Hopkins to donate blood to Henrietta. He told Rebecca about how Henrietta's arms and legs were strapped down to the bed to keep her from falling out when her body cringed in pain. Henrietta told her sister Gladys that she was going to die and that she had to make sure her babies were taken care of, especially her baby girl Deborah. She died at 12:15 am on October 4, 1951.
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