The first patient to contract Ebola on U.S. soil arrived at a hospital in Maryland for treatment late Thursday night, but not before saying a tearful goodbye to staff in Texas.
Nina Pham, 26, was infected with the disease after treating Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.
In these first images released of Pham since she became infected, her treating physician Dr. Gary Weinstein thanks Pham for being part of the team who took care of the first Ebola patient.
"It means a lot," . "This has been a huge effort by all of you guys…We're really proud of you."
Weinstein encouraged Pham not to cry, but she couldn't help tearing up.
"I love you guys," said Pham as she wiped her eyes.
"We love you Nina," responded Weinstein.
Pham asked the hospital to share the video with the public, according to the description on YouTube.
"Everybody is very happy to be able to see her, to hear her voice," Pham's family friend Tom Ha told Â鶹´«Ã½ Channel Friday morning. "She didn't want to leave the hospital because of the connection with her friends…When she left Dallas she was crying."
Pham left Dallas at 8 p.m. Thursday and arrived at the National Institutes of Health hospital in Bethesda, Md. just before midnight.
Before leaving Dallas, Pham issued a statement that said, "I'm doing really well thanks to this team, which is the best in the world. I believe in my talented coworkers. I am #presbyproud!"
Pham's coworkers showed their support by waving signs as she was transferred into the ambulance in Dallas.
"We feel much more comfortable and safe now," Ha said about Pham being in Maryland.
Ha said the family initially felt comfortable keeping her at the hospital in Dallas because that is where she works, but it became obvious that she should be at the hospital with the best equipment and the most expertise. He added that having Pham in Dallas was also a drain on the resources at that hospital.
Within 12 hours of Pham arriving in Maryland, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infection Diseases at the National Institute of Health, said Pham is in "fair" condition. That implies she is experiencing some symptoms, but is stable and alert.
