Fatu Kekula is a hero! What?!!! She is caring for four of her family members with Ebola, keeping 3
alive without infecting herself.
She deserves a place in the stars!
Read her inspiring story below as told by CNN below:
It can be exhausting nursing a child through a nasty bout with the
flu, so imagine how 22-year-old Fatu Kekula felt nursing her entire
family through Ebola.
Her father. Her mother.
Her sister. Her cousin. Fatu took care of them all, single-handedly
feeding them, cleaning them and giving them medications.
Her sister. Her cousin. Fatu took care of them all, single-handedly
feeding them, cleaning them and giving them medications.
And she did so with
remarkable success. Three out of her four patients survived. That’s a
25% death rate — considerably better than the estimated Ebola death rate of 70%.
remarkable success. Three out of her four patients survived. That’s a
25% death rate — considerably better than the estimated Ebola death rate of 70%.
Fatu stayed healthy,
which is noteworthy considering that more than 300 health care workers
have become infected with Ebola, and she didn’t even have personal
protection equipment — those white space suits and goggles used in
Ebola treatment units.
which is noteworthy considering that more than 300 health care workers
have become infected with Ebola, and she didn’t even have personal
protection equipment — those white space suits and goggles used in
Ebola treatment units.
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Instead Fatu, who’s in
her final year of nursing school, invented her own equipment.
International aid workers heard about Fatu’s “trash bag method” and are
now teaching it to other West Africans who can’t get into hospitals and
don’t have protective gear of their own.
her final year of nursing school, invented her own equipment.
International aid workers heard about Fatu’s “trash bag method” and are
now teaching it to other West Africans who can’t get into hospitals and
don’t have protective gear of their own.
Every day, several times a
day for about two weeks, Fatu put trash bags over her socks and tied
them in a knot over her calves. Then she put on a pair of rubber boots
and then another set of trash bags over the boots.
day for about two weeks, Fatu put trash bags over her socks and tied
them in a knot over her calves. Then she put on a pair of rubber boots
and then another set of trash bags over the boots.
She wrapped her hair in a
pair of stockings and over that a trash bag. Next she donned a raincoat
and four pairs of gloves on each hand, followed by a mask.
pair of stockings and over that a trash bag. Next she donned a raincoat
and four pairs of gloves on each hand, followed by a mask.
It was an arduous and time-consuming process, but Fatu was religious about it, never cutting corners.
UNICEF Spokeswoman Sarah Crowe said Fatu is amazing.
“Essentially this is a
tale of how communities are doing things for themselves,” Crowe said.
“Our approach is to listen and work with communities and help them do
the best they can with what they have.”
tale of how communities are doing things for themselves,” Crowe said.
“Our approach is to listen and work with communities and help them do
the best they can with what they have.”
She emphasized, of
course, that it would be better for patients to be in real hospitals
with doctors and nurses in protective gear — it’s just that those
things aren’t available to many West Africans.
course, that it would be better for patients to be in real hospitals
with doctors and nurses in protective gear — it’s just that those
things aren’t available to many West Africans.
No one knows that better than Fatu.
Her Ebola nightmare
started Juy 27, when her father, Moses, had a spike in blood pressure.
She took him to a hospital in their home city of Kakata.
started Juy 27, when her father, Moses, had a spike in blood pressure.
She took him to a hospital in their home city of Kakata.
A bed was free because a patient had just passed away. What no one realized at the time was that the patient had died of Ebola.
Moses, 52, developed a fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Then the hospital closed down because nurses started dying of Ebola.
Fatu took her father to
Monrovia, the capital city, about a 90-minute drive via difficult roads.
Three hospitals turned him away because they were full.
Monrovia, the capital city, about a 90-minute drive via difficult roads.
Three hospitals turned him away because they were full.
She took him back to
another hospital in Kakata. They said he had typhoid fever and did
little for him, so Fatu took him home, where he infected three other
family members: Fatu’s mother, Victoria, 57; Fatu’s sister, Vivian, 28,
and their 14-year-old cousin who was living with them, Alfred Winnie.
another hospital in Kakata. They said he had typhoid fever and did
little for him, so Fatu took him home, where he infected three other
family members: Fatu’s mother, Victoria, 57; Fatu’s sister, Vivian, 28,
and their 14-year-old cousin who was living with them, Alfred Winnie.
While operating her
one-woman Ebola hospital for two weeks, Fatu consulted with their family
doctor, who would talk to her on the phone, but wouldn’t come to the
house. She gave them medicines she obtained from the local clinic and
fluids through intravenous lines that she started.
one-woman Ebola hospital for two weeks, Fatu consulted with their family
doctor, who would talk to her on the phone, but wouldn’t come to the
house. She gave them medicines she obtained from the local clinic and
fluids through intravenous lines that she started.
At times, her patients’ blood pressure plummeted so low she feared they would die.
“I cried many times,” she said. “I said ‘God, you want to tell me I’m going to lose my entire family?’ “
But her father, mother,
and sister rallied and were well on their way to recovery when space
became available at JFK Medical Center on August 17. Alfred never
recovered, though, and passed away at the hospital the next day.
and sister rallied and were well on their way to recovery when space
became available at JFK Medical Center on August 17. Alfred never
recovered, though, and passed away at the hospital the next day.
“I’m very, very proud,” her father said. “She saved my life through the almighty God.”
Now he’s working to find
a scholarship for Fatu so she can finish her final year of nursing
school. He has no doubt his daughter will go on to save many more people
during her life.
a scholarship for Fatu so she can finish her final year of nursing
school. He has no doubt his daughter will go on to save many more people
during her life.
“I’m sure she’ll be a great giant of Liberia,” he said.