The Harlem doctor cured of Ebola made a beeline home to his fiancée Tuesday — just after Mayor de Blasio and health officials piled on praise for the “hero” during his release from Bellevue Hospital.
Spencer’s bride-to-be, Morgan Dixon, 30, had been quarantined at the couple’s home since his Oct. 23 diagnosis. Her quarantine was lifted Tuesday and she’ll undergo twice-daily assessments by Health Department staff, officials said.
Spencer, who contracted the disease while working with patients in West Africa, is now believed immune because he has developed antibodies that will last at least 10 years, according to the city Health Department.
Earlier in the morning, the Doctors Without Borders physician shared hugs and high-fives with de Blasio and the medical team that nursed him back to health.
“Dr. Spencer is Ebola-free and New York City is Ebola-free,” said de Blasio. “It’s a good feeling to hug a hero, and we have a hero in our midst — someone who served others no matter how much danger. He has been an inspiration throughout the challenges he faced.”
President Obama called Spencer from Beijing to thank him. He said his administration will keep supporting people like Spencer who want to serve others.
Spencer, 33, thanked Bellevue staffers for an “exceptional level of medical treatment,” which included an experimental drug and a plasma transfusion from Ebola survivor Nancy Writebol.
Spencer spoke Tuesday about his time in Africa, where he spent five weeks caring for Ebola patients in Guinea.
“During this time, I cried as I held children who were not strong enough to survive the virus, but I also experienced immense joy when patients I treated were cured and invited me into their family as a brother upon discharge,” he said.
In Harlem — where Spencer spent his entire first day of freedom cooped up with Dixon — neighbors gave the doctor a warm welcome.
“I hope he’s not deterred. He’s like a rare specimen,” building resident Ryan McVerry said of Spencer’s work in West Africa. “We need people like him. There are too few doctors over there right now.”