Another National Holiday in Liberia – Today is the anniversary of the birthday of the first President of Liberia; I am sorry to report that I do not know who he was as other things have so had my attention since returning here. I am exhausted emotionally and physically tonight, but cannot rest without writing… After a good sleep last evening, a welcome workout in the gym this morning, a special breakfast with a hotel friend, a few moments on a chaise lounge by the sea – I showered and prepared for what I thought was going to be a brief conversation with a few Liberians directly affected by this ebola crisis. After almost five hours of “listening to testimony” from a dozen health-care workers and ebola survivors, I am in awe, compete awe…
Dear friends David and Janet Beyan hosted this afternoon’s gathering in the front garden of their home in Monrovia, in the same city where I stay but seemingly on another planet due to road conditions and traffic on the other side of town. I arrived at 3PM after being told I would hear from David’s niece, a nurse, who survived ebola as well as a member of their community who had lost 11 of 13 family members to the virus. I went to document their two stories.
What I was honored and blessed to witness was a circle of Liberians telling their stories, all so traumatized by this unprecedented crisis, all so wanting to share with each other, all so trusting me and the film crew to be in their circle of conversation. Unbelievable stories of love and courage and survival. Among them Foday – the ambulance driver – who became one of TIME Magazine’s Persons of the Year. He has a mission now – to help ebola survivors, to help post-ebola life in Liberia – he is an ebola survivor.
The film crew documented everyone’s story. As they were doing so, one young neighborhood man asked me if I thought ebola was the end of the world?? OMG his fear so apparent. “No, not the end of the world, but certainly a wake-up call for all of us to realize we are one human family, we are all in this together. If some of us are not okay, none of us is okay,” I responded. I hope he felt my reassurance… I cannot imagine the level of fear and uncertainty in this country for this last year…
As we were concluding, Foday offered one comment about the leadership of Liberia not hugging survivors, unlike President Obama hugging survivors in America. Deep sadness. I immediately said, “I cannot make up for that, but I want to hug all of you tonight – and will send that photo all over the world!” And so we hugged, despite ebola protocol – for photo after photo which I will share with the world in every way I can…
With great love from our family members in Liberia ~ Deborah
What I was honored and blessed to witness was a circle of Liberians telling their stories, all so traumatized by this unprecedented crisis, all so wanting to share with each other, all so trusting me and the film crew to be in their circle of conversation. Unbelievable stories of love and courage and survival. Among them Foday – the ambulance driver – who became one of TIME Magazine’s Persons of the Year. He has a mission now – to help ebola survivors, to help post-ebola life in Liberia – he is an ebola survivor.
The film crew documented everyone’s story. As they were doing so, one young neighborhood man asked me if I thought ebola was the end of the world?? OMG his fear so apparent. “No, not the end of the world, but certainly a wake-up call for all of us to realize we are one human family, we are all in this together. If some of us are not okay, none of us is okay,” I responded. I hope he felt my reassurance… I cannot imagine the level of fear and uncertainty in this country for this last year…
As we were concluding, Foday offered one comment about the leadership of Liberia not hugging survivors, unlike President Obama hugging survivors in America. Deep sadness. I immediately said, “I cannot make up for that, but I want to hug all of you tonight – and will send that photo all over the world!” And so we hugged, despite ebola protocol – for photo after photo which I will share with the world in every way I can…
With great love from our family members in Liberia ~ Deborah
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