An ambulance arrives with Ebola victim Dr. Kent Brantly, right, to Emory University Hospital, Saturday, Aug. 2, 2014, in Atlanta. He has since made a full recovery.
When Dr. Kent Brantly and another American healthcare worker, Nancy Writebol, contracted Ebola in Liberia and were evacuated to Emory University Hospital for treatment, Americans watched closely and celebrated their eventual release.
But when a third Ebola patient - a WHO doctor working in Sierra Leone - was brought to Emory for treatment on Sep. 9, we didn't learn any details about the situation, and no subsequent updates were released. Many feared that no news meant bad news.
Finally, on Wednesday, as Emory prepares to receive the Dallas nurse for treatment, the hospital provided a long-awaited update on the status of the third patient they took in.
Emory noted that they were "bound by patient confidentiality," but that "given the current national news regarding the diagnosis of Ebola virus disease in health care workers," the patient requested that they release a statement on his or her behalf. The patient has been kept anonymous since the beginning, unlike a lot of other Ebola patients.
The patient's long battle with Ebola, the statement reveals, had taken a turn for the worst. He or she was in critical condition soon after arriving at Emory, but is now at last recovering. The patient expects to be released soon.
Here is the full statement from the patient, released by Emory on Wednesday:
Given the national focus on Ebola, particularly with the diagnosis in two health care workers, I want to share the news that I am recovering from this disease, and that I anticipate being discharged very soon, free from the Ebola virus and able to return safely to my family and to my community.
As a result of the virus, my condition worsened and I became critically ill soon after I arrived at Emory. Through rigorous medical treatment, skillful nursing, and the full support of a healthcare team, I am well on the way to a full recovery. I want the public to know that although Ebola is a serious, complex disease, it is possible to recover and return to a healthy life. I wish to retain my anonymity for now, but I anticipate sharing more information in future weeks as I complete my recovery.