Given ZMapp
Brantly and Writebol are given ZMapp at the hospital in Liberia where they are being treated. After special permission is granted for the use of the untested medicine, the serum is sent from the U.S. stored at subzero temperatures, and must be allowed to thaw naturally for eight to 10 hours. They agree that Writebol will be given the first dose as Brantly is younger and expects to have a better chance of survival. However his condition worsens and he is intravenously administered Writebol’s thawed dose, after telling doctors that he thinks he is dying. Within an hour, his breathing eases and the red rash over his torso fades. Writebol is then given the medicine and requires a second dose, but also recovers.
Arrives in US
Writebol, the second American who contracted Ebola while working with a missionary group in Liberia, is airlifted to Emory hospital in Atlanta for treatment. The aid worker, 59, is the second American to be flown into the US for treatment. David Writebol:
Now we have a real reason to be hopeful.
Blood transfusion
Spencer receives blood from Writebol after medics find that their blood types match, with the hope of transferring antibodies.