I serve a God who answers prayers – Brantly, Ebola survivor

One of the United States aid workers who recovered from an Ebola infection, Dr. Kent Brantly, has said he was “thrilled to be alive” as he and another patient were discharged from the hospital.

In his first public speech since leaving the hospital on Thursday for treatment of the deadly virus, Brantly, 33, thanked supporters for their prayers. His colleague, Nancy Writebol, 59, has also been discharged from the hospital.

The two were taken to the US for treatment three weeks ago from Liberia where they contracted the disease…

The outbreak has killed more than 1,300 people in West Africa, with many of the deaths occurring in Liberia.

“Today is a miraculous day,” said Brantly, while addressing reporters at Emory University hospital.

“I am thrilled to be alive, to be well, and to be reunited with my family. As a medical missionary, I never imagined myself in this position.

Brantly said he lay in bed for nine days, getting progressively sicker and weaker. On August 1, he was flown to Atlanta for treatment at Emory.

He said, “I cannot thank you enough for your prayers and your support, but what I can tell you is that I serve a God who answers prayers.

“God saved my life, a direct answer to thousands and thousands of prayers…Thank you to the Liberia community, Emory hospital and so many of you, my family, friends and church family.

“My family and I will now be going away for a period of time to reconnect, decompress and to continue to recover physically and emotionally. After I have recovered a little more and regained some of my strength, we will look forward to sharing more of our story.