Our prayers continue for those in Congo facing this devastating epidemic
In the long tradition of those who travel toward suffering rather than away from it, Dr. Peter Stafford went to Congo as a healer and nearly became another casualty of one of humanity's most feared diseases. He did not. After contracting Ebola while serving as a missionary physician, he was evacuated to Berlin, treated, and declared free of the virus on June 6 — returning home this week alongside his wife and four children, all of them unharmed. His survival is a quiet miracle set against a still-unfolding tragedy: the outbreak that nearly claimed him continues to move through Congo and into Uganda, leaving grief in its wake.
- A missionary doctor working in one of the world's most dangerous disease zones contracted Ebola, forcing an emergency evacuation to a Berlin hospital capable of treating the lethal Bundibugyo strain.
- His wife, also a physician in the field, and their four children were evacuated alongside him and held in quarantine — an entire family suspended in uncertainty for weeks.
- On June 6, Berlin's Charité hospital declared Stafford Ebola-free, and all family members were eventually cleared after showing no symptoms, ending the immediate crisis for this one household.
- The family has now landed safely in the United States, joined by other missionaries who were extracted and cleared — but the outbreak they left behind has claimed 178 lives across 782 confirmed cases in Congo, with the virus already crossing into Uganda.
Dr. Peter Stafford stepped off a plane this week with his wife and four children — all of them healthy, all of them home. The American physician had contracted Ebola while serving as a missionary doctor in Congo with Serge, a Pennsylvania-based Christian missions organization. On May 20, he was evacuated to Charité hospital in Berlin, where medical teams worked to treat a disease with terrifying potential. For weeks, his outcome remained uncertain.
His wife Rebekah, also a physician volunteering with the same organization, and their four children were evacuated alongside him and placed under quarantine. None of them ever developed symptoms. On June 6, the hospital declared Stafford free of the virus, and the family was eventually cleared to return to the United States.
In a statement following his arrival, Stafford expressed measured gratitude — to God, to those who had prayed, and to the medical teams who had treated him. But his words reached beyond his own recovery. He asked for continued prayers for the people of Congo, where the outbreak he left behind remains severe: 782 confirmed cases and 178 deaths as of mid-June, with the virus already crossing into Uganda, where 19 cases and two deaths have been recorded.
Other missionaries evacuated alongside the Staffords have also been cleared and returned home. For them, the ordeal has ended. For the communities of Congo and Uganda still living inside the epidemic, the struggle is far from over.
Dr. Peter Stafford stepped off a plane on Monday with his wife and four children, all of them healthy, all of them home. The American physician had contracted Ebola while working as a missionary doctor in Congo, a diagnosis that could have ended very differently. Instead, after weeks of treatment in Berlin and careful monitoring, he and his family walked back into their lives in the United States.
Stafford fell ill while serving with Serge, a Pennsylvania-based Christian missions organization operating in Congo. On May 20, he was evacuated to Charité hospital in Berlin, where medical teams began the difficult work of treating one of the world's most lethal viruses. The Bundibugyo strain circulating through Congo is less common than the Zaire variant but carries the same terrifying potential. For weeks, his status remained uncertain. Then, on June 6, the hospital declared him free of the virus. His wife, Rebekah—also a physician volunteering with the same organization—and their four children had been evacuated alongside him and placed under quarantine. None of them ever showed symptoms. None of them contracted the disease.
In a statement released after his arrival, Stafford spoke with the measured gratitude of someone who understands how close the margin was. He thanked God, the people who had prayed for him, and the medical teams whose expertise had pulled him back from the edge. But his thoughts did not stop at his own recovery. He acknowledged the ongoing catastrophe unfolding in the country where he had been working. "Our prayers continue for those in Congo who are facing this devastating epidemic," he said, "and for the ongoing efforts to control the disease."
The outbreak he left behind remains severe. As of mid-June, Congo had recorded 782 confirmed cases of Ebola and 178 confirmed deaths. The virus had already crossed into Uganda, where 19 cases and two deaths had been confirmed. The Bundibugyo strain, though less frequently encountered than other variants, has proven capable of sustained transmission and serious illness. Health officials across the region remain deeply concerned about its trajectory.
Stafford was not alone in his evacuation. Other missionaries and their families who had been working alongside him in Congo were also brought out, quarantined, and eventually cleared to return to the United States. All have now been released from monitoring. The organization that sent them into the field had made the decision to extract its personnel as the outbreak intensified, a choice that likely saved lives. For Stafford and his family, the nightmare has ended. For the people of Congo and Uganda, the struggle continues.
Citações Notáveis
I am filled with gratitude to God for preserving my life, to all those who prayed on my behalf, and to the many medical providers who cared for me. Our prayers continue for those in Congo who are facing this devastating epidemic.— Dr. Peter Stafford, in a statement after returning home
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
What made you decide to go back to Congo in the first place, knowing the risks?
That's the question, isn't it. You don't go into missionary medicine because the math looks good. You go because you believe the work matters more than the risk.
But you contracted Ebola. That's not an abstract risk—that's the thing actually happening.
It is. And I won't pretend I wasn't terrified. But I also won't pretend that fear should have kept me home while people there were dying without care.
Your wife is also a doctor. Did you talk about what you were both walking into?
Every day. We knew the outbreak was spreading. We knew the Bundibugyo strain was circulating. We made the choice together, and we made it with our eyes open.
When you got to Berlin and they told you that you were Ebola-free, what went through your mind?
Relief, yes. But also the knowledge that my family had been in quarantine the whole time, waiting to see if they'd gotten sick. That weight doesn't lift all at once.
And now you're home. Does it feel real?
It's starting to. But I keep thinking about the people we left behind. The outbreak is still there. The deaths are still happening. Coming home feels like a privilege I didn't earn.