Statement given at a press conference at UMass Medical School on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014, at 5 p.m., by Debbie Sacra, wife of Dr. Rick Sacra, the third American doctor to be infected with the Ebola virus while working in Liberia.
I am overwhelmed and abundantly blessed by all the kind words that people have said about Rick since the news of his sickness was released. He will be somewhat embarrassed when he learns of it and he will say that all the glory goes to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thanks also to the Family Health Center of Worcester which has provided a professional home to Rick whenever we have lived in Central Massachusetts and UMass with whom he has partnered on the other side of the ocean, particularly in writing the HIV/AIDS guidelines for Liberia.
The Bible continues to be a source of comfort to me in the midst of this difficult time for our family. St Paul wrote “to me, to live is Christ, to die is gain – to depart and be with Christ is far better, but to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.” We are indeed praying, that Rick will stay longer with us so that he can continue the good works that he has done in Liberia and also, caring for patients and teaching Family Practice residents in Worcester. But he would want you to know that he would not be afraid to pass into eternal life with the Lord, not because he has done good works, but because of the death of Christ on his behalf. The same love that Christ showed as he reached out to heal and comfort is the love that compels Rick: because Christ died for all, those who live no longer live for themselves but for Him.
Our mission, SIM (pronounced S-I-M), has been doing everything possible to care for Rick in his illness. They immediately sent an American colleague to Liberia to support the Ebola case management center director, Dr. Jerry Brown, in Rick’s treatment and began the process of organizing his evacuation. My family is confident in the concern and attention of SIM and the ELWA family, as we have been for nearly 25 years. But our faith is in God’s concern and attention most of all.
I would like to thank the media for their features on Rick this week. You have been kind and positive and allowed him to be an inspiration to our region. You respected my privacy when the news broke, and allowed others to speak for me when I might be too emotional to speak for myself. Rick and I have a close and loving marriage and his trips to Liberia are a part of our lives but that doesn’t make them easy. When he left at the beginning of August, we understood there was a risk he could become sick with this deadly virus but I knew that he needed to go and be with the Liberian people who needed a hospital to be open. He was so concerned about the children who were going to die from malaria without hospitalization and the women who had no place to deliver their babies by Cesarean section. He is not someone who can stand back when there is a need that he can take care of. His word to everyone who is watching these broadcasts is that the need in West Africa is desperate and there are resources that can be deployed to make sure that all health care workers have enough gloves and gowns and boots and thermometers to protect themselves from possible Ebola exposures and continue caring for those who need other medical care. Please find a practical way to meet the needs of Liberia and its neighbors in this time of fear and suffering. As Rick wrote to his medical colleagues, this epidemic is a wildfire about to rage out of control.
