A Dallas nurse who recovered from Ebola thanked those who took care of her quarantined dog after she was reunited with him Saturday.
"Bentley re-entering my life is another reminder of hope and encouragement for me moving forward and living my life to its fullest with my best friend by my side again," Nina Pham said after the reunion Saturday.
The King Charles Cavalier Spaniel had been in quarantine at an abandoned Navy base in Dallas after Pham was diagnosed with Ebola at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas after caring for a Liberian man, Thomas Eric Duncan, who died Oct. 8.
City spokeswoman Sana Syed said Thursday that the dog tested negative for Ebola and his 21-day quarantine — the Ebola incubation period — would end Saturday.
Dallas officials tweeted images of Pham's emotional reunion with Bentley Saturday morning.
Nina deserves this moment. To know everything is going to be okay. #tearfulreunion pic.twitter.com/ei9XOpI398 — Sana Syed (@dallaspiosana) November 1, 2014
Dallas Animal Services (DAS) managed Bentley’s care in partnership with the Texas Animal Health Commission, Texas A&M University and the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, the Texas Department of State Health Services, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Pham, who was released from her own quarantine Oct. 24, thanked Bentley's caretakers for "caring for him as if he was your own and showing America and compassion and live is abundant and alive."
Syed said Pham couldn't visit the dog sooner because he might have become anxious to see her but then be left behind in isolation.
There has been a rockstar team involved with Bentley's care. @TAMUVET1 @DallasShelter @1500Marilla @DallasOEM pic.twitter.com/htIK5LTFHu — Sana Syed (@dallaspiosana) November 1, 2014
