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Faith of Ebola survivor Dr. Brantly documented in ‘Facing Darkness’ 

4/5/2017

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​Will be shown Monday at 7 p.m. at AMC Indianapolis 17

Picture
Picture
​PHOTOS COURTESY OF SAMARITAN’S PURSE
Dr. Kent Brantly with wife Amber at his side addresses the media after recovering from Ebola three years ago at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. 
By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

The historic Ebola outbreak of 2014 that nearly killed a missionary doctor with deep Southside roots is documented in the movie “Facing Darkness.”

Dr. Kent Brantly, formerly of Southeastern Church of Christ and School, and hygienist Nancy Writebol were stricken with the deadly disease in March 2014 while volunteering in Liberia. He was the first to be treated in isolation at Emory University in Atlanta, where he fully recovered within three weeks.

Brantly grew up on the Southeastside and attended church and school at 6500 Southeastern Ave., where he was baptized.

An encore showing of “Facing Darkness – A True Story of Faith: Saving Dr. Brantly from Ebola in Africa,” will be shown Monday at 7 p.m., at AMC Indianapolis 17, adjacent to Southern Plaza, 4200 S. East St.
Ebola claimed more than 1,000 lives and infected over 28,000 people in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Explaining that his calling is to serve people in need, Brantly continues to profess his faith in God.
“I will never know for sure how I contracted Ebola,” he said. “My wife, Amber, and I were acutely aware of how serious the situation was – in fact it seemed hopeless. 

“But I truly felt God’s peace that is beyond understanding. We had trusted in God when we moved our family to Liberia, and we were not going to stop trusting him now just because I got sick.  I wanted to be faithful even in death.”

He and his family returned to Liberia in 2015 to show how compassion can overcome fear and to be with many friends and colleagues overseas.

“We wanted to rejoice with them over the end of the outbreak and also mourn with them over the losses suffered by so many,” Brantly said. “Our brief visit was a time of healing for our family, and a reminder of how powerful it can be to choose compassion over fear.”

Brantly, a 2009 graduate of the Indiana University School of Medicine, served with World Medical Mission, the medical branch of Samaritan’s Purse.

He and four more caregivers were featured in December 2014 when “Time” magazine named the Ebola fighters as “Person of the Year.” He and Amber are authors of the book “Called for Life: How Loving Our Neighbor Led Us into the Heart of the Ebola Epidemic.

Brantly’s battle and survival was voted as the top story of 2014 by readers of Southsider Voice.

The documentary, “Facing Darkness,” was filmed on location in West Africa and the United States and produced by Samaritan’s Purse International Relief; executive producer Franklin Graham, the eldest son of the late evangelist Billy Graham.
​
(Editor’s note: Michael Conrad of Lovell/Fairchild Communications contributed to this article.)  
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