Family Physician & Ebola Survivor Visits CSW

Dr. Rick Sacra, a Massachusetts-based family physician who has worked on the frontlines of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, spoke at a school-wide assembly about his experiences as an Ebola survivor and on issues of global health, access to healthcare, and social justice.

Sacra, who has been working in Liberia as a physician through a missionary organization for the past 19 years, contracted the disease while treating patients at the ELWA Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, where Doctors Without Borders set up an Ebola Treatment Center. Sacra has fully recovered from Ebola. The CSW science department also hosted a presentation on Ebola at an earlier assembly to inform students and the community about how the disease is contracted and spread.

During his presentation, Sacra recalled a determination to become a doctor during his high school years. He was always intent on helping those who couldn’t help themselves. His compassion to support under-served people was also influenced by his devout Christianity, values that have remained throughout his life, especially when faced with contracting Ebola. Dr. Sacra traveled to Liberia to work as a generalist almost 20 years ago, serving patients that were hard-pressed to receive regular health care for issues like childbirth and others that were left untreated that triggered extremely tragic outcomes.

“My whole life is about providing access to health care for the people of Liberia,” shared Dr. Sacra.

During his presentation, Dr. Sacra described his interactions with one particular patient in Liberia, a young woman named Doris, whose symptoms showed possible signs of a rare type of cancer. Sacra’s gut instinct proved correct, after samples were flown to the U.S. to be tested, results showed that Doris had a cancer that could be treated with chemotherapy. During his care for her, there was much dissent in the community that was not accustomed to cancer treatments overall. Doris’s family and others grappled with the side effects that appeared to make her weaker. Sacra worked diligently to communicate the importance of her treatment, and after convincing Doris and her family to allow a full round of chemotherapy to be completed, her prognosis was positive. The family presented Sacra with a gift of a chicken, a sign of deep gratitude in Liberian culture.

“Doris’s story is all about what service means to me,” added Sacra, who said that the lack of lab components in Liberia is one of the biggest weaknesses in providing quality health care. He began identifying local doctors to build mentorships and create a training program of sustainability in the area. When he contracted Ebola, he was treated by members of the medical team that he had helped to build before being evacuated to Nebraska to receive intensive intravenous fluids and further treatment.

Although he claimed that he had never been as ill as he was with Ebola, he was at peace throughout the experience. His mind was filled with thoughts of people he had helped. When cleared of the virus, he returned as a UMASS Medical School faculty member to help launch an effort to fight Ebola in West Africa.

His presentation at this week’s assembly concluded with a question and answer piece that highlighted extreme challenges of Ebola virus containment in West Africa due to cultural rites, geography and poor access to health care. Members of the CSW community also raised questions relating to health care costs, the luxury of being American, and the need to keep global attention on regions so deeply impacted by Ebola. Several students continued the conversation with Dr. Sacra during the lunch hour.

Rick Sacra's visit was filmed and is available here.