Ebola Survivor Donates Blood to Fellow US Doctor
Dr. Rick Sacra, the third American to be infected with the Ebola virus, is recovering well at a hospital in Nebraska.
The SIM missionary received two blood transfusions from Dr. Kent Brantly, one of the first two American survivors of Ebola.
"The first donor we tested was a mismatch and we were down to our last shot, but it worked out great," Dr. Phil Smith, medical director of the University of Nebraska Medical Center's bio-containment unit, said.
Doctors say Brantly's blood has antibodies that Sacra had not been able to develop, and the transfusion may help kick start Sacra's immune system.
Sacra also received an experimental drug that doctors say they are not allowed to identify.
"I didn't get to see Kent. He was here before I got here. And it really meant a lot to us that he was willing to give that donation so soon after his recovery," Sacra's wife, Debbie, said.
"I spoke to his wife and we both marveled that they had the same blood type" she continued. "That was something from the Lord."
The Sacras say they hope what is being learned about the virus in the United States can help stop the spread of the epidemic in West Africa, where the virus has killed nearly 2,300 people.
