Marie Claire Tchecola is a nurse and

Ebola Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after becom ...

survivor from

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

. She is an activist who educates about disease and fights stigma against those who suffer from disease. In 2015 she was awarded the

International Women of Courage Award The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...

by the US State Department.

Biography

Tchecola grew up in a small Guinean village near the Senegalese border. She was the first woman in her family to obtain an education. She earned her nursing credentials and was working as a nurse at

Donka Hospital The Donka Hospital is a publicly owned hospital in Conakry, Guinea. It has inadequate facilities to handle demand, and many Guineans cannot afford its services. More than once in recent years the hospital has had to deal with a major influx of pa ...

Conakry Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its p ...

, Guinea. In July, 2014 she contracted Ebola, while treating a severely ill patient. A shortage of healthcare workers and basic protective equipment created a situation in West Africa where the disease was spreading rapidly. Recognizing the symptoms, she checked herself into a treatment center to prevent the spread of the disease. She recognized from her own experience that denial, doubt, and misinformation can prohibit people from getting proper treatment and taking proper precautions. After recovering from the disease, Tchecola returned to her job as an emergency room nurse at Donka Hospital, but her troubles were not over. Tchecola's landlord evicted her, because of fear and misinformation about the disease. Others who survived have similar stories: friends stop visiting, employers won't let workers return, communities believe that Ebola is a death sentence and that victims will eventually die so they shun survivors, children and adolescents are rejected by family members and fear inhibits other placement for them. The situation with children is especially troubling. More than 4,000 children are registered as orphans in Guinea. Because survivors appear to have an immunity to the disease, they are being recruited by

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

to help with children. Survivors are able to touch and provide comfort to the traumatized children in a way that personnel in protective gear cannot. Tchecola is committed to raising awareness, educating about Ebola prevention, and fighting discrimination against survivors. She is a member of the Ebola Survivors Association of Guinea, which provides a support network for those who survived the disease.

References

External links

Marie Claire Tchecola - I Survived Ebola
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tchecola, Marie Claire Living people Guinean nurses Guinean health activists Guinean women activists Year of birth missing (living people) Recipients of the International Women of Courage Award