The widow of Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian who brought Ebola into Nigeria, has defended his decision to travel to the country explaining that he might have done so in desperate search for a country with good healthcare system.

According to TMZ Liberia, Decontee Sawyer, who is a radio host in New York, posted a message on her Facebook timeline explaining that Mr. Sawyer had no trust for the decaying healthcare system in Liberia and might have headed to Nigeria with the hope of receiving proper treatment for his ailment.

“I’ve read other reports in other papers (not the New York Times) about Patrick’s “recklessness.” I get where they’re coming from, and they certainly have the right to feel the way they do. However, as Patrick’s widow, I would like to shed some light on this from another perspective. One that only I, his wife, would know,” she wrote.

“I knew Patrick better than anybody else (including himself). He had told me many times in the past how much he didn’t trust the Liberian healthcare system. He would tell me about how a person would get checked in for one thing, and get misdiagnosed and get the wrong treatment as a result. On top of that, Patrick was a clean freak, and told me how filthy a lot of the hospitals were.

“He didn’t tell me this, but I know in my heart of hearts that Patrick was determined to get to Nigeria by all means because he felt that Nigeria would be a place of refuge. He has expressed to me many times in the past that he felt passionately about helping to be a part of strengthening Liberia’s healthcare system, but he knew it wasn’t there yet, and he wouldn’t want to take a chance with his life because a lot of people depended on him… Patrick had a passion for life, and he wouldn’t have wanted his to end. So, I bet anything that he was thinking, if I could only get to Nigeria, a way more developed country than Liberia, I would be able to get some help. How ironic.”

Many Nigerians condemned Mr. Sawyer for travelling to the country after it was revealed that he knew he was carrying the virus before embarking on the trip. Some Nigerians on social media have described him as a “biological terrorist” arguing that he came into the country deliberately to spread the disease. On Monday in Abuja, President Goodluck Jonathan described Mr Sawyer’s decision to travel to Nigeria as pure “madness” and “craziness.”

“Sawyer that brought this Ebola to Nigeria; his sister died of Ebola. And he started acting somehow, his country asked him not to leave the country, let them observe him, but the crazy man decided to leave and found his way here,” the president said.

Ms. Sawyer wrote that the fact that her husband avoided contact with others at the James Sprigg Payne’s Airport in Monrovia revealed by airport CCTV footage proved he didn’t set out to infect others with the disease and perhaps his actions were that of a dying man in desperate search for help.

“It has been reported that Patrick avoided physical contact with everyone he came across during his trip from Liberia to Nigeria. When he got to Nigeria, he turned himself in letting them know that he had just flown in from Liberia. Patrick went to Nigeria for help so that he can get properly diagnosed, and not misdiagnosed in Liberia. And if it came back that he did have Ebola, he trusted the Nigerian healthcare system a lot more than he trusted the Liberian’s. His action, as off as it was, was a desperate plea for help. Patrick didn’t want to die, and he thought his life would be saved in Nigeria.”

She then took a swipe at the Liberian President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who said Mr. Sawyer was indisciplined and disrespectful for failing to heed medical advice not to travel. She said if President Johnson-Sirleaf had fixed the healthcare system in Liberia, her husband would have no need of leaving in search of treatment somewhere else.

“I write today, not simply because of Patrick, but because of the broken healthcare system in the Liberia, and the government’s inability under President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (and other past Presidents) to fix it. Good doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers aren’t given the support they need to save lives.

“President Sirleaf went on CNN News throwing stones at Patrick, a man who can no longer defend himself, a man who worked tirelessly for Liberia. She should be ashamed of herself. I use to admire this woman, and was excited and proud of her accomplishment as the first woman President in the entire continent of Africa. She will always own that. We will always own that. It can’t be taken away from her. It’s something to be proud of. But this woman has failed her country,” she wrote.

Since Mr. Sawyer’s death in a Lagos hospital, two other persons who had contact with him have died of the virus. At least eight others have also tested positive to the infection and have been quarantined at a Lagos hospital.

President Goodluck Jonathan has since declared a national emergency on the disease while the federal health ministry in conjunction with health ministries in the 36 states are working to prevent the virus, which has killed over 1,000 people in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, from spreading.


- See more at: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/166660-ebola-why-patrick-sawyer-travelled-to-nigeria-wife.html#sthash.gVVB5fXK.dpuf




https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/166660-ebola-why-patrick-sawyer-travelled-to-nigeria-wife.html#sthash.gVVB5fXK.dpbs

Why he no head straight for America?
Better health care in Nigeria?

Tell that to the marines, madam!

I no blame you sha,
He for don pass am to you,
We go see then whether you go get mouth!
Mtsheew

[i][/i]

Liberia and ghana have closer ties than liberia and nigeria though.

Btw, his wife is in new york, not minnesota?

The Ediot knew he had Ebola in his system before boarding the plane. There is absolutely no justification for his action. He was either a Medical Terrorist or simply a CWM! - [Crazy Wicked Mugu].

Eeeyah

That's medecine after death. Wernot interested. It was a conspiracy theory and he did this out of pure hatred for Nigeria.

You knew about his plan!

We may be corrupt but we would never intentionally device a means to cause panic in any health sector. Check our records. The blood of everyone that has died by the hand of #Ebola shall cry in judgement to him.

mtchw if he ws truely looking 4 cure he would hav gone to U.S or any country in Europe wit good medical facilities . he jx wanted to infect us wit d virus and he ws successful, i pray hiz soul rot in d bottomless pit of hell. Amen

so he evaded closer countries to Liberia like Ghana(with considerably good health care system) or even Ivory Coast and Nigeria was where his mind decided to try? rubbish.

He is still a stupid man! Is he not a US citizen? Why didn't he go to US for better healthcare

PS: Still using present tense to qualify him to show how mad I am with d stupid man

Just like d so called nurse, that left quarantine and came to Enugu, she better pray the 21 persons come out negative or else..........

Poor guy he thought he would get better health care in naija. may his soul rest in peace.

Maybe he wanted to go back to America via Nigeria, cos it's only Nigeria that has direct flight to America in West Africa.

Useless defence! He no sabi where America, Britain or even South Africa dey? GEJ has already described him perfectly..

Patrick sawyer is now more popula than namadi sambo

Hmmm...attempting to salvage his image. Which good healthcare for Nigeria He was probably heading to T.B Joshua's prayer house.

So you serve as P.R.O to maintain mutual understanding not rig out despute on patrick suya or what is his fucking name who qualify as infest that infect Nigeria with his moral viral called ''EBOLA''

Then why did he urinate on those who were trying to give him that medical care he came for? Was he thanking them for a job well done or is that another way of saying 'i need help' in Liberia?

he was going for a conference in calabar before he collapsed at the airport.

Arosa: Poor guy he thought he would get better health care in naija. may his soul rest in peace.

Maybe he wanted to go back to America via Nigeria, cos it's only Nigeria that has direct flight to America.

Yungwizzzy: Patrick sawyer is now more popula than namadi sambo

Lol

teeowl: he was going for a conference in calabar before he collapsed at the airport.

Is it?

Yeye Fowl

Tale by moon light.....Nigeria Wai dey fly thr ppl enter India any how get good healthcare b*tch tell us something else

e be like ebola don finish all bokoharam suicide bombers-them neva strike since.

The CURSE in the LAND attracted Patrick Sawyer to Nigeria!

It's called Fate!!

I can't believe this.... This sounds like the rants
of an equally mad person like her husband... He
didn't mean to infect Nigerians? Really?
Nonsense.... I am certain the Americans sent the
man here... God pass them!

pat077: e be like ebola don finish all bokoharam suicide bombers-them neva strike since.

Will you close your dirty wicked mouth!

They have currently been committing Genocide over there in northeast.

But the news only focus on Ebola!

Poor dude!
R.I.P.
I would have done that.
The only question I ask is WHY the EBOLA CAN CATCH SOME AND NOT SOME?

MrT2011:

Will you close your dirty wicked mouth!

They have currently been committing Genocide over there in northeast.

But the news only focus on Ebola!

why r u so bitter? R u 4rm borno?

Bloody lie.

With a disease of no known cure he thought Nigeria of all places will cure him unless he was heading to synagogue church.

My take is that Sawyer was paid and put on a flight to Lagos to deliberately spread the virus.

The Americans via the CIA convinced him to get on the plane to make something out of his deplorable terminal condition

pat077: why r u so bitter? R u 4rm borno?

I am not bitter.

Your Nigeria is bitter.

The country is under a CURSE!

She has to defend her Husband for bad and for worse. But why didnt Patrick go to America since he was still an American? Why Nigeria? when we all know Nigeria's healthcare system is also as good as hanging on to life.