United States

Church Community Prays for Ebola Patient and Girlfriend in Isolation

The son of Dallas Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan said Tuesday he is "praying my dad will make it out safely" in his fight against the deadly virus.

"I just came down here because I feel God was calling me to see my dad," 19-year-old Karsiah Duncan said at a news conference.

The teen also praised mother Louise Troh "for her strength" shown while she is monitored for symptoms of the virus.

"She's been having (to go) through all this being strong," Duncan, a student at Angelo State University, said. "Everything is hard being in the house for 21 days, not knowing what's going to happen after she gets out."

His father, the first Ebola patient diagnosed on U.S. soil, remains in critical condition at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.

"What we saw was very painful," Duncan's nephew Josephus Weeks said. "He wasn't looking good."

Family members and Jackson have expressed their concern that Thomas Duncan was discharged from the hospital, only to return two days later with more severe symptoms of the virus.

"He should have been treated earlier," said Jackson, who came to Dallas at the request of the family. "But he is being treated now and I hope not too late."

Members of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas have been praying for Thomas Eric Duncan and Troh ever since finding out about the Ebola virus diagnosis. Troh has been a member of the church since before her baptism in June 2014. Celebrities such as Iyanla Vanzant and Chris Brown have reached out to Duncan's son to offer their support, and President Barack Obama has shared his support for the family as well. The Rev. Jesse Jackson led a prayer vigil earlier Tuesday outside Presbyterian Hospital for Duncan.

The church will hold a prayer vigil for members of the Liberian community at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at 4316 Abrams Road.

Senior Pastor George Mason has said he speaks with Troh daily by phone from her new isolation area. He said he won't be able to visit in person until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approves his request.

Mason and Troh have talked about relying on prayer during her monitoring period and as Thomas Duncan recovers in isolation at the hospital.

Mason said while Troh and her family have not been to church since Thomas Duncan arrived in the United States, his church continues to offer prayer and encouragement to Troh and her family members in quarantine.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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