American medical missionary Peter Stafford returned to the United States on Monday after recovering from a case of Ebola he contracted while serving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Stafford, his wife, and his four children are back home after the doctor tested positive for Ebola while working with patients in Congo’s Ituri province before the outbreak was identified, according to Serge, the international Christian missions organization he belongs to. The organization revealed on May 18 that Stafford had contracted the often-deadly disease, and he was later transported to Germany for emergency treatment at Berlin’s Charite University Hospital, along with his family. “I am filled with gratitude to God for preserving my life, to all those who prayed on my behalf, and to the many medical providers who cared for me. I am feeling well and thankful to be reunited with Rebekah and the kids,” Stafford said in a statement. “Our prayers continue for those in Congo who are facing this devastating epidemic and for the ongoing efforts to control the disease.”
Stafford, 39, was one of three Serge medical missionaries who were treating patients in the region when the outbreak was identified, according to the group. Days before the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the outbreak, Stafford operated on a patient at Nyankunde Hospital who he thought had a gallbladder infection, but was later believed to have most likely died of Ebola.
