Madrid, Spain, Nov 6, 2014 / 14:49 pm
Upon announcing her recovery from Ebola, Spanish nurse Teresa Romero said Wednesday that she praises God for her life and holds no ill will against anyone for having contracted the disease.
"I don't know what went wrong, or even if anything did go wrong. I only know that I don't hold any grudges, nor do I fault anyone," Romero said in a brief appearance before reporters, in which she was met with sustained applause.
Saying she is still weak, she asked to be given space and said she hopes her infection will contribute something to research into the virus.
"If my blood can help cure others, I am here," she added.
Romero had treated two Spanish missionaries who had contracted Ebola while ministering in West Africa. Both later died of the disease.
Her case attracted significant Western attention to the Ebola outbreak, which originated in West Africa.
The latest World Health Organization estimates indicate that Ebola has killed about 5,000 people, primarily in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The incurable disease has a high mortality rate.
Romero said she thanks God for "giving me my life back" and her family for their support, which inspired her "to fight to continue in this life." She also praised the doctors at the Carlos III Hospital in Madrid for their care.
When she thought she was dying, Romero said she clung to the memories of her family members and her husband.
She felt supported by the entire country in her fight against Ebola, an illness she said nobody in Europe cared about until someone on the continent became infected.
The nurse expressed gratitude as well for the thousands of messages of encouragement that she received through social networks.
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