Ga. Resident Volunteers to Help Treat Ebola Patients

Sept. 29--When a "Dateline NBC" crew came to do a story on the Ebola virus at Jessica Loomis' hospital in Atlanta, Loomis was filmed only briefly.

But that didn't matter. The former Decatur resident and 2007 Austin High graduate was living what has become a major international concern: helping bring back to health Dr. Kent Brantly, 33, and Nancy Writebol, 59.

Loomis, a registered nurse at Emory University Hospital, volunteered to assist in the care of Writebol and Brantly, medical missionaries in Liberia who became infected with the Ebola virus. They were flown to Atlanta for treatment.

"Dateline NBC" aired a segment entitled "Saving Dr. Brantly: The Inside Story of a Medical Miracle." It aired Sept. 5. Loomis was in the segment for about 10 seconds.

Loomis, 26, and the other health-care workers wore protective body suits as they cared for Brantly, of Asheville, North Carolina, and Writebol, of Charlotte, North Carolina.

"We got specialized training before they arrived, and I got to be very involved with them, speaking to both quite a bit," Loomis said. "I wasn't afraid at all."

Loomis said she knew her safety depended upon maintaining the standards of procedure, and was confident the other nurses and doctors would maintain theirs as well.

"My usual characteristic is to be a little timid, but I feel that through the grace of God, I felt very confident and brave," she said.

Loomis had something else going for her. Although she has never been to West Africa, her heart is there. Her missionary grandparents spent more than 30 years in Nigeria, and her late father, Bryan Reece, a former teacher at Cedar Ridge Middle School, grew up there from the time he was 10 months old.

"Jessica grew up hearing stories about Nigeria. This gave her a strong connection to the Ebola patients," said her mother, Rhonda Reece, principal at Walter Jackson Elementary School. "Bryan, who died 10 years ago of cancer, graduated from Hillcrest High in Jos, Nigeria. He lived in Nigeria until he came home to attend Samford University. Jessica was 5 when his parents moved back to the states."

Cindy Hunt -- the cross-country and track coach at Austin High who resigned in May and now teaches at Auburn High -- said Loomis was on her teams starting as a seventh-grader and continuing through her senior year.

"Jessica is one of the most direct, yet caring individuals that I know," Hunt said. "I coached her during a very difficult time in her life, when she and her family were dealing with her father's cancer. She remained committed to her responsibilities, and her spirit never wavered."

Hunt said she endured both of her parents being terminally ill with cancer. Her mother died the first of March, and her father passed away the last of that month.

"When I first learned of their diagnoses, I contacted Jessica through Facebook. I knew she had lived it," Hunt said. "She was just very encouraging to me, which is her nature. In no way did it surprise me about her caring for the Ebola patients. Jessica, like her teammates that I coached, all went on to do quite wonderful things. They are spectacular folks. I am blessed that Jessica is my friend."

Dr. John Irle, a family practitioner in Decatur, said he was guilty for trying to steal Loomis away from nursing.

"I wanted her to go into medical school," Irle said. "She is bright, kind and caring, and would have been a good physician."

Irle said he first got to know Loomis through his daughter, Grace.

"They visited back and forth," Irle said. "I became better acquainted with her family when her father had cancer. I watched Jessica grow up from a little girl into a young woman. It didn't surprise me that she wanted to assist the Ebola patients."

Loomis graduated at Auburn University with a bachelor of science degree in nursing in May 2011. That September, she married Kyle Loomis, of Montgomery, whom she met at Auburn.

She began her career at Jackson Hospital, in Montgomery, where she worked two years as a registered nurse. The couple moved to Atlanta last year, and Jessica Loomis took the job at Emory, putting her in line to assist Brantly and Writebol.

"(Brantly) is a man of great faith," Loomis said. "He spoke of his love of Christ openly. It really touched me when he said that whether he lived or died from Ebola was all due to the grace of God."

She recalled Writebol "as one of the most humble and grateful people" she ever met.

"She thanked us for even the most mundane tasks," Loomis said. "They were both just phenomenal patients."

Loomis said as an ER nurse, she normally works 12-hour shifts. But during the care of the Ebola patients, she worked 60 hours a week.

"I was working both units at the same time. I spent half my time with Dr. Brantly and Ms. Writebol in their rooms, and the next day, I would return to the ER," Loomis said.

The hospital is now caring for a third Ebola patient, but Loomis has not met him.

"I don't even know his name. I want to say he came from Liberia, but I don't know for certain," she said.

Recalling when the television crew visited for the "Dateline NBC" special, Loomis said host Matt Lauer spoke to the nursing care team for about 30 minutes.

"I was in the segment, but it was like for 10 seconds when they showed the team," Loomis said. "He asked me a direct question, but that part did not air."

As she continues to pursue her career, Loomis hopes one day to visit Nigeria, "to see where my dad lived."

Ronnie Thomas can be reached at 256-340-2438 or rthomas@decaturdaily.com. Follow on Twitter @DD_Ronnie.Thomas.

Copyright 2014 - The Decatur Daily, Ala.