Sometimes we have to pause and recognize the heroes in our midst.
One such hero was Dr. Sheik Umar Kahn, of Sierra Leone. He was part of the international team trying to contain the Ebola outbreak, unfortunately contracted the disease, and died. From the Independent story:
The top doctor treating patients infected with the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone has died from the disease, officials have confirmed.
Dr Sheik Umar Khan had been hospitalised in quarantine since he contracted the virus last week. The virologist was credited with treating more than 100 patients at the hospital in Kenema – one of the world’s leading Ebola diagnosis facilities.
Dr. Kahn knew the risks and took them anyway:
Before his diagnosis, Dr Khan told reporters: “I am afraid for my life, I must say, because I cherish my life.”
“Health workers are prone to the disease because we are the first port of call for somebody who is sickened by disease. Even with the full protective clothing you put on, you are at risk,” he added.
Dr. Kahn exhibited the best of the human spirit. Memory eternal!
Two heroic American doctors also contracted Ebola while fighting the African epidemic and are being treated in an isolation unit at Emory University. (Ebola does not spread in the air.)
Let us hope–and for those who believe in it, pray–that they will recover. Their names are: Dr. Kent Brantly and Dr. Nancy Writebol