The correct answer to this open question is the following.
You did not mention the book or the text you are referring to. Without information is difficult to know what you are talking about.
However, trying to help you we did some deep research and can comment on the following general terms.
First, you are referring to the book called "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Teachers' Guide," written by Rebecca Skloot, a science writer that has published many interesting articles on this subject in prestigious slots such as the New York Times magazine.
The challenges that Skloot faced in communicating with Deborah was Deborah's personality and resistance to talk with Kloot. Deborah was a difficult research subject herself because she did not trust Kloot and her research. Deborah is the daughter of Henrietta, and for 20 years never knew about the existence of her mother's cells and that medical and research laboratories were investing millions of dollars in developing medicines. That is why Deborah showed resistance to talk to Skloot. She did not have a clear idea about what has happened with the cells of her mother and the purpose of the research.
