Woman Saves Whole Family From Ebola Using Her Own Method
Fatu Kekula nursed her father, mother, sister and cousin, taking care of them all by herself: feeding, cleaning and giving drugs, CNN reports.
Unfortunately her cousin lost the fight against the tropical virus.
Fatu Kekula’s cousin Alfred
Miraculously, Fatu did not get infected even despite the fact that she had no protective ammunition. It is none of a secret that health workers contacting the patients are in the risk group. More than 300 medical staff representatives contracted the EVD.
Fatu Kekula’s family members, who survived Ebola
The young woman, who is a final year student of a nursing school, used her self-made equipment while taking care of the patients. International aid workers heard about the so-called “trash bag method” and even teach it to West Africans affected by the epidemic and lacking the protective gear.
Method
Fatu put trash bags over her socks and tied them in a knot, then she put on rubber boots and another pair of trash bags over the boots. After that she wrapped her hair in a pair of stockings, wore a raincoat and four pairs of gloves on each hand, and finally – the mask.
Fatu Kekula invented her own “trash bag method” while fightin Ebola
She repeated the same operation several times per day, for 2 weeks.
UNICEF Spokeswoman Sarah Crowe characterized Fatu as an amazing woman. According to her,
“Essentially this is a tale of how communities are doing things for themselves. Our approach is to listen and work with communities and help them do the best they can with what they have.”
Fatu Kekula invented her own “trash bag method” while fightin Ebola
Although Crowe stressed the fact that being in hospital with the trained and protected staff is a better option for the patient, she said that Fatu’s solution was great as the professional services are not available to a lot of West Africans.
Fatu’s story
It all started July 27, when the woman took her father to the hospital with the high blood pressure. The man was placed on the bed of a patient, who had just died from Ebola.
From this point Fatu’s nightmare began. The 52-year-old man quickly developed Ebola symptoms, including fever, vomiting and diarrhea. The hospital was soon shut down because of nurses dying from the virus.
She took him to the country capital Monrovia, where 3 hospitals refused to admit the sick man because of being full.
Upon returning to Kakata, Fatu turned to another hospital, but doctors could not do much for her father.
She had no other choice but take him home, inhabited by Fatu’s mother, Victoria, 57, sister, Vivian, 28, and cousin Alfred Winnie. All of them got infected.
While nursing her relatives for two weeks with the help of her own method, Fatu was consulting with their family doctor on the phone regarding the medicines she should give to the patient.
She later confessed how scared she was at times, fearing her beloved would not survive.
“I cried many times. I said ‘God, you want to tell me I’m going to lose my entire family?’”
However she managed not only stay free from Ebola, but to take her mother, father and sister out of the cold hands of the disease.
All the 3 were already on their way to recovery when space became available at JFK Medical Center on August 17. Cousin Alfred did passed away on the next day after having been hospitalized.
Moses, who is currently in good health, said.
“I’m very, very proud. She saved my life through the almighty God.”
As the man is looking for a scholarship for Fatu, he believes that his daughter will be the person to save many more lives in the future.
“I’m sure she’ll be a great giant of Liberia.”
It would be recalled that Nigeria has managed to contain the Ebola outbreak, but the non-stopping epidemic continues in West Africa, having claimed more than 3,000 lives already. The first case was yesterday recorded in the Untied States of America.
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