Most people come back from the Democratic Republic of the Congo with a few cool photos of wildlife, a slightly dusty safari hat, and maybe a souvenir magnet that falls off the fridge within a week. But Dr. Peter Stafford isn’t most people. He decided to level up the "vacation souvenir" game by potentially bringing back one of the most terrifying viruses known to mankind. Talk about a commitment to the craft! While working at Nyankunde Hospital, Peter had a bit of an "oopsie" moment involving Ebola exposure, which is significantly more stressful than accidentally dropping your phone in a public restroom.
Instead of just grabbing a ginger ale and taking a nap, Peter got the ultimate VIP travel experience: a private medical evacuation. You know your workday went poorly when the solution involves a specialized containment plane and a flight crew wearing suits that look like they’re prepping for a walk on the surface of the sun. He’s now back on American soil, describing himself as "cautiously optimistic." In the world of high-stakes medicine, that’s basically the professional equivalent of saying, "I haven’t turned into a puddle of human gazpacho yet, so things are looking up!"
Currently, our brave doctor is the undisputed heavyweight champion of social distancing. While the rest of us are complaining about a mild case of the sniffles or a scratchy throat, Peter is hanging out in a high-tech isolation unit, likely wondering if he can get a decent pizza delivered through a triple-sealed bio-hazard airlock. He’s doing well, all things considered, and honestly, if he survives this—which we are all rooting for—he never has to buy another drink for the rest of his life. "Hey, remember that time I was a walking bio-threat?" is the ultimate party icebreaker. Godspeed, Dr. Stafford; here’s hoping your next trip involves nothing more dangerous than a sunburn and a bad hotel breakfast.
