It has been a year since Dr. Rick Sacra recovered from the deadly disease called ‘Ebola.’ The physician from Massachusetts was treated during a period of three weeks in an Omaha, Nebraska hospital where he was cured.
After saying that it was his faith that gave him peace through times of uncertainty, Dr. Sacra told The Associated Press this week, “Of course I knew that I might die. It made me very aware of how grateful I am for every day I’m given,” the Telegram reports.
Dr. Sacra was in Liberia by the time he was infected with the virus. He was delivering babies in a Christian mission hospital in the West African coast country. As soon as he started to suffer from high fevers, vomits, diarrhea and aches, he was sent back to the United States immediately.
Furthermore, the physician from Massachusetts tells that he is now 100 percent recovered from such dangerous experience. He was lucky enough to heal an eye issue that chased him until early this year. In addition, Dr. Sacra showed deep concern for West African Ebola survivors, so are still dealing with severe health difficulties. “The anguish of losing loved ones, and stigmatization and fear upon returning to their battered communities.”
He continues his mission
Despite the fact that Sacra had to deal with some of the most dangerous disease in the world, he remains constant in his thoughts by saying that some risks are worth taking and even if he had died, that experience would not have changed all the good work he did at Liberia.
Besides, he has returned three times so far in 2015. He was the first of American’s handful of Ebola survivors to return to West Africa last January. In every visit, he performed missions at the hospital and worked for the welfare of the community. He has been working on these kinds of missions for twenty years now.
Furthermore, he explained that Liberia is going through a rough period because several Liberians who remained away from the hospitals when the epidemic emerged, are now returning with serious chronic conditions such as heart disease and AIDS. He stated that now, more than ever, Liberians needs health care workers in large measure and he is coming back on November, no matter if it was declared an “Ebola-free” just a few weeks ago, from the second time this year.
“When Liberia is on its feet again and it doesn’t need help anymore, I’ll probably move on to someplace else, but as long as the needs are there and I can make a difference, I think I ought to keep doing it,” Sacra told The Associated Press.
In addition, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the ebola epidemic from last year has taken more than 11,000 lives.
Source: Telegram