Survivors

Last week, I had the privilege to greet a group of about one hundred Ebola survivors who were meeting at the ELWA Hospital chapel—the very structure that, 7 months ago, was Monrovia’s first Ebola Treatment Unit.  The group was diverse—elderly, young people, even little children.  Some educated, some not.  Roughly equal numbers of men and women; some dressed up in nice clothes, some in t-shirts, shorts and flip-flops.  Some were clearly feeling happy just to have survived Ebola, with smiles on their faces, while others looked like they were still experiencing some of the trauma and stigma of Ebola-- faces downcast, not making eye-contact.  As I met them, tears welled up in my eyes. These people had gotten through Ebola just like I had, but here in Liberia, where the resources, staff and treatment available were so much more limited.  
To read the rest of the blog, follow this link to CNN: Doctor's notes
















Dr. John Fankhauser with Barbara (in the green blouse), one of the survivors from the ELWA-2 ETU who was a nurse at ELWA, and other ELWA hospital staff.

You can listen to her story at Barbara Ohoh