#PresbyProud because of Pham and Vinson (Elizabeth Muscari, 6th Period)

     SUMMARY: 
In this week's news, the headlines cover a variety of aspects related to Ebola. However, none more important than the news circulating around two Dallas nurses Nina Pham and Amber Vinson who contracted the Ebola virus after October 8^th, when the first patient to bring Ebola to U.S soil, Thomas Eric Duncan died from complications with the illness. The nurses were treated for several days at Presbyterian Hospital, before being transferred elsewhere. Vinson, the second woman diagnosed, was admitted to Emory Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia while Pham was transferred to a hospital in Maryland.

Both nurses knew it was bad news when they had to be flown out of the state for better care. However, the light at the end of the tunnel has been reached. As of Friday at midnight, not only was Nina Pham’s dog, Bentley, Ebola-free, but Vinson and Pham were both declared free of the virus, too. The two nurses returned home to reunite with family members and begin the road to recovering from the publicity and of course, the virus. Sources stated the Pham and Vinson were looking forward to returning back to their regular lives, yet the publicity and “talk of the town” will take a while to cease. As a community, I believe that we should be proactive in supporting the nurses and sharing our love for their fearlessness in taking care of Duncan, as well as their courage in fighting the virus. Not many people are willing to go as far as to try and save the life of someone who has a virus that could potentially harm many people. The two women did all that they could to save Duncan, and although it wasn’t enough, they never gave up. They risked their lives to work with Duncan and unfortunately, they contracted Ebola as a result. Today, they are safe.

      Pham and Vinson’s recovery, and really even before they contracted the disease, sparked millions to tweet #PresbyProud to show the support of the hospital. The hospital that the two nurses worked at has been getting terrible publicity and blamed for “killing” Duncan. Fingers pointed towards the hospital, Dallas-ites and other Americans have said that Presbyterian didn't do anything right. What people don't realize is that Presbyterian is not the CDC, and did have the CDC telling them what to do, and oftentimes, it was the wrong thing to do. 

         In my opinion, I know that this hospital did all that they could with the limited resources it had in order to save the already very ill man. If he had been in Atlanta, yes, he might have survived but this virus also has a low survival rate for anyone who has had it as long as he did. I don’t believe Presbyterian had anything to do with “killing” Duncan, and more so that he was too far into the virus for further help. I am #PresbyProud. I don't blame the hospital, doctors, or nurses because they did all that they could to do their job; save the lives that are in danger. They wouldn't have medical degrees if they just "stood around" like everyone said they did. I am #PresbyProud not because Presbyterian was the very first place I ever breathed life in, but because it continually save lives and works incredibly hard to do so. Presbyterian was there for me when I was born, when I blew out my knee and hips, and they are always there just up the street. They are dependable to me. I am proud of these nurses and the hospital because Dallas, being one of the least likely places to have such a virus occur, risked their own health to put a stop to Ebola so that other Americans wouldn't live in fear of it. They showed that Ebola wasn't something to fear, but something to stop right in its tracks. 

     So, regarding the great news about Pham and Vinson, they have truly proved to Dallas that nurses are courageous and experienced an extremely rapid recovery. They have given us another reason to be #PresbyProud. 

Analysis: Do you believe that Presbyterian is an unprofessional hospital? Now that Pham and Vinson are healthy again, do you think they should reach out to aid other Ebola victims by donating the antibodies through donating their blood? Do you think Ebola is a thing of the past now that there is only one case in America now? 

http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2014/10/first_dallas_nurse_with_ebola_leaves_hospital_nina_pham_amber_vinson_experience_rapid_recovery.html