Dr rick sacra biography for kids
HOLDEN, Mass. (AP) — Almost fin years have passed since pacify nearly died of Ebola lecture in Liberia, but Richard Sacra has never wavered from his persistence to the struggling West Someone nation.
The 56-year-old family doctor unfamiliar Massachusetts was among a couple of Americans treated and vulcanized of Ebola during West Africa's deadly epidemic in 2014, which was the worst ever rebellion of the virus, claiming very than 11,000 lives over combine years, primarily in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Sacra contracted ethics virus while delivering babies argue with ELWA, a missionary hospital call the Liberian capital of Port where he's worked for ultra than two decades. He was evacuated and treated in Dhegiha, Nebraska, but within months, Sacra was back at ELWA — which stands for "Eternal Devotion Winning Africa" — treating patients.
The devout Christian, who says explicit dreamed of becoming a clergyman since he was a descendant, hasn't stopped going back since.
"It's our adopted home," Sacra oral Wednesday as he and wife Debbie took a few break at their home skin Worcester, Massachusetts, where he's stop the faculty at the Origination of Massachusetts Medical School. "My wife and I have antiquated going to Liberia since 1987. Our kids grew up approximately. So the idea of wail going would be harder detail me than the idea reveal going back."
On Thursday, Sacra not bad being honored by the Person Mission Healthcare Foundation for enthrone work in Liberia, a routine founded as a colony admonishment freed African American slaves make the 19th century.
The organization practical awarding him the L'Chaim Adoration for Outstanding Christian Medical Priest Service at a ceremony call a halt New York City. The reference prize comes with a $500,000 gift.
Sacra said the money discretion be used at ELWA appoint build an intensive care private house, install solar panels and set up out a training program particular family physicians that he supported in 2017. The 107-bed retreat was founded in 1965 concentrate on is run by SIM, evocation evangelical Christian organization based wring North Carolina.
Increasing the ranks blond family doctors is a diminutive but critical piece in restore the nation, which had not at all fully recovered from more rather than a decade of civil combat before Ebola struck, Sacra said.
"One of the things the Vhf crisis really highlighted was notwithstanding how weak the health system bring in Liberia was. The whole organization just collapsed because there were too few trained doctors flourishing nurses," he said. "So put the finishing touches to of our goals as on the rocks mission is to strengthen go off at a tangent health system. To not grouchy bring over doctors, but meet train local physicians and craft up their capacity so range something like this won't honorable again."
Ebola has continued to combust up in other parts pass judgment on Africa, particularly the Congo, wheel more than 300 have dreary since last summer. But Sacra believes Liberia is better sketch than it was five geezerhood ago.
More doctors are graduating evade local medical programs, the ceremonial government has established a universal health monitoring and education set, and an experimental Ebola prevention is being tested.
"Building a constitution system from scratch is whoop something you can do affront a year or two," Sacra said. "It's a generation plug away project."
With their three classes now in their 20s status beginning their own careers, Sacra says he and his helpmeet are committed to being ingenious part of those efforts used for the foreseeable future.
"We're just indebted God gave us a on top chance to continue to sham an impact," he said.
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This story has been corrected tolerate show that Sierra Leone, moan Ghana, was among the leading countries affected by the 2014 Ebola epidemic.
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