Henrietta Lacks Essay On Poverty

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Poverty is affecting billions of people around our world and the number is growing with each day. Many people think they can avoid the effects of poverty, but it is something that affects all of our daily lives. Many people see poverty as a person who lacks money, although this is true poverty is caused by many more things than being without money. Just the fact that one in two children live in poverty can help people see clearly the impact it has on our world. Poverty truly does influence the type of care and treatment a person will receive when they need it. There are many things that cause poverty that can be overlooked and not considered. In the book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” the Lacks family is living in poverty while …show more content…

People all around the world have no chance of surviving simple to treat diseases or sicknesses due to the fact that they can’t afford health insurance. In the book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” it says “...the last thing he remembered before falling unconscious under the anesthesia was a doctor saying his mother’s cells were one of the most important things that had ever happened to medicine. Sonny woke up more than $125,000 in debt because he didn’t have health insurance to cover the surgery (Lacks 306).” This quote shows how people that can’t afford health insurance because they are poor are expected to pay the money for the surgery. His own mother’s cells were the biggest breakthrough in medicine history but her son couldn’t afford health insurance. This is something that is happening all over our world today. People who need assistance will never receive it because of their position. Many people die each day to things like diarrhea and the cold because they can’t afford a typical check up. “Based on poor access to health care, 1 billion people have no chance of ever seeing a doctor in their life (Infographic).” This is a fact that even pertains to people in America. Health care is a thing that a few in our world have access to. However you look at it health as a whole is different in poorer individuals. People who are poor have a shorter life expectancy it 's as simple as