Ebola suvivor Dr. Kent Brantly (L) is applauded by U.S. President Barack Obama (R) prior to the president delivering a statement about the government's Ebola response in the East Room of the White House in Washington, October 29, 2014.
Samaritan's Purse doctor Kent Brantly, who
contracted Ebola while fighting the deadly outbreak in Liberia over the summer,
is one of the medical workers honored as TIME magazine's 2014
"Person of the Year." "From the community health care volunteers in Liberia,
to the dedicated staff of organizations like Samaritan's Purse and MSF, to the
doctors and nurses at Emory University Hospital, Ebola Fighters are mostly
anonymous heroes whose diverse faces are largely unknown even to their patients
as they wage this war in head-to-toe protective gear," Dr. Brantlysaid. "It is these nameless champions that TIME has
recognized today."
The
Ebola outbreak, which is still not contained and has killed over 6,000 people
in West Africa, has proven especially dangerous to medical personnel and anyone
working in close quarters with the disease. Brantlysurvived and recovered from
Ebola after successful treatment back in America, and received the experimental
drug ZMapp at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.
This year, TIME honors a
number of other Christian doctors as well, such as 46-year-old Dr. Jerry Brown
of nondenominational Christian mission Eternal Love Winning Africa Hospital in
Monrovia, Liberia.
"I always had the fear
of myself or one of my staff getting infected, and what would become of me
thereafter," Brown said about news of the disease starting to spread
through Liberia in March.
Brown recalls having to turn
the ELWA's church chapel into an isolation ward, since the mission's hospital
did not have such a section, and there was no time or money to build one.
"Well, of course,
turning the chapel into an Ebola unit was not welcomed by the staff of the
institution. The bulk of them said, 'Why should we turn the house of God into a
place where we put people with such a deadly disease?' And some said, 'Where
will you provide for us to worship in the morning?'" Brown recalled.
Dr. John Fankhauser, a family
physician from Ventura, Calif. and another volunteer, pointed out to staff that
Jesus had also treated people in the house of God.
Brown asked the hospital
workers: "What if you get sick with Ebola, or a member of your family? If
the ELWA facility is not prepared to treat patients, where will you go?"
He added that eventually, "a couple of them saw reason."
TIME's in-depth feature focuses
on a number of other stories in the fight against Ebola as well, including that
of SIM missionary Nancy Writebol, who also contacted the virus in Liberia but
survived following treatment in America.
Earlier
this week, the World Health Organization reported that the death toll from Ebola has
reached 6,388 people out of 17,942 cases. The disease has relatively slowed
down in Guinea and Liberia over the past several weeks, but it continues rising
in Sierra Leone, and the need for further medical resources and efforts remains
great.
Samaritan's Purse President
Franklin Graham said that his organization is grateful that TIME has chosen to
honor Brantly and the many men and women who are risking their lives to fight
the deadliest outbreak of Ebola in history.
"This battle for life is
far from over, and Samaritan's Purse will continue our work in this huge
effort. We pray for each one of these heroes on the frontline and those
suffering from Ebola. May God bring healing and comfort to them all,"
Graham said.
Samaritan's Purse, as well as
a number of other Christian and other NGOs are continuing their mission in West
Africa, treating Ebola patients and educating the public in important
prevention measures.
No comments:
Post a Comment