The Samaritan's Purse doctor who survived Ebola will appear at Prescription for Renewal
Dr. Kent Brantly, the Samaritan’s Purse physician who was serving in Liberia and survived infection with the deadly Ebola virus, will be speaking at the Prescription for Renewal conference, October 10-12 at the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, North Carolina.
The Lord spared Dr. Brantly’s life and is using him to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ by focusing worldwide attention on combatting Ebola in West Africa.
Dr. Brantly and his wife, Amber, met with President Obama last week at the White House. He has spoken before both houses of Congress and consulted with health care experts from around the world. He had told his story to NBC News and TIME magazine, among other major media outlets.
Prescription for Renewal is an annual conference for Christian physicians and dentists. Coordinated by World Medical Mission, the medical arm of Samaritan’s Purse, it offers Christian doctors, dentists, nurses, and their spouses an opportunity to explore the world of missionary medicine in a peaceful retreat setting in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
Since 1977, World Medical Mission has helped thousands of physicians serve on short-term assignments in mission hospitals and clinics around the world.
Christian medical professionals interested in attending can register by calling The Cove at 800-950-2092.
Dr. Brantly was working with Samaritan’s Purse in Liberia, caring for Ebola victims, when he contracted the deadly virus. No one knew if he would live to tell the tale.
By God’s grace and with the help of the talented medical team at Emory University Hospital, Dr. Brantly is healed and in recovery from the virus that claims up to 90 percent of its victims.
Dr. Brantly and his wife, Amber, first shared their powerful story of faith and healing during an NBC News special, “Saving Dr. Brantly—The Inside Story of a Medical Miracle”.
TIME magazine also published a first-person account of his recovery called, “This is What it Feels Like to Survive Ebola.”
Dr. Brantly was working at ELWA Hospital in Liberia through World Medical Mission’s Post-Residency program before the Ebola outbreak earlier this year. He wanted to serve overseas because of a strong call from God on his life for medical missions. When the deadly virus hit, he didn’t want to run away from the issue.
“Africa is a place of great medical need,” he said. “Liberia, in particular, has a health care system that was severely damaged during the long history of war and civil conflict.”
When the Samaritan’s Purse team heard of the first reported cases of Ebola in Monrovia, they decided to prep themselves and the facility in case of an outbreak. As the virus rapidly spread, their initial preparation efforts ended up being a vital component in saving lives.
“Many clinics and hospitals around Liberia are truly unable to treat patients with Ebola because they don’t have any means to protect themselves,” Dr. Brantly said when the Samaritan’s Purse team first joined the battle against the virus. “They run out of gloves, they don’t have barrier gowns, [and] they may not even always have running water. But at ELWA Hospital, we have had the support and resources of Samaritan’s Purse, that allowed us to set up a functioning isolation unit with all of the personal protective equipment needed to care for patients with this highly contagious, deadly disease.”
When Dr. Brantly first started feeling under the weather and displayed the early symptoms with a fever of 100 degrees, he immediately isolated himself. Though he tested negative for Ebola twice, he waited to ensure the safety of those around him. The third test came back positive.
At times, he felt like he would die as the virus ravaged his body. But he still maintained his faith and prayed God would be glorified through his life or his death.
“It is a frightening thing to know you are encountering the most deadly virus known to man,” he said. “I have been called by God to serve Him with the gifts, skills and talents He has given me. And He called me to serve Him in places where the need is great and others may not be willing to go. I am confident in this calling, and, therefore, I can be confident in my current circumstances.”
Please continue praying for those affected by this deadly virus, which continues to spread throughout much of west Africa.
