Dallas nurse Amber Vinson released from Atlanta hospital after Ebola treatment

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Amber Vinson reads a statement upon her release Tuesday from Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

Lance Murray

Digital Content Producer- Dallas Business Journal

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Amber Vinson, one of two Texas Health Presbyterian nurses who contracted Ebola virus disease while caring for a dying man, was released Ebola-free Tuesday from Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

Vinson read a brief statement to reporters in which she said, "I'm so grateful to be well. With God, all things are possible."

Vinson was surrounded by her doctors, nurses and relatives as she read her statement, USA Today said.

"It's been God's love that has truly carried my family and me through this difficult time, and has played such an important role in giving me hope and strength to fight," she said.

Vinson, 29, and fellow nurse Nina Pham, 26, contracted the disease while caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian national who became the first person diagnosed with the disease in the United States when he was admitted to Texas Health Presbyterian earlier this month.

He died of the disease on Oct. 8.

Pham was the first nurse to be diagnosed with the disease. She was transferred to the National Institutes of Health in Maryland for treatment and was released on Friday.

Vinson was diagnosed after she flew back to Dallas from Cleveland where she had gone to plan her wedding.

Vinson, who was self-monitoring, called the Centers for Disease Control to report she was running a low fever, but was told she could fly back to Dallas on a commercial Frontier Airlines flight.

Vinson was later transferred to Emory University Hospital for treatment.

Texas Health Presbyterian issued this statement noting Vinson's release:

"Today is a joyful day at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. Amber Vinson is free of Ebola and coming home. Like many of her colleagues, she made a brave choice to volunteer and provide care for a critically ill Ebola patient. That led to a personal fight against the disease, and she is to be commended for her strength and courage.

"Amber and her fellow caregiver, Nina Pham, are an inspiration for healthcare workers nationwide, and we at Texas Health Dallas could not be more proud of them."

Lance Murray edits and writes for the DBJ's website and can be reached at 214-706-7106. Subscribe to our email newsletters.