Cells from the human body can live on long after the person they came from has died providing essential tools for research. A famous example are cells from Henrietta Lacks’ tumor. Although Henrietta died in 1950 at the age of 31 from cervical cancer her cells were able to grow in culture. Examples of how and why cells live on long after the individual they came from has died will be presented. Questions such as, “What happens to cells once they leave our bodies, especially when we have samples taken as part of medical procedures?” will also be discussed.