A nurse from the South Side of Chicago is preparing to travel to West Africa to treat Ebola patients.
Despite news of mandatory quarantines and debates over travel bans, Larry Turner says he’s considered the risks of his mission, but said he just wants to help.
“If I catch it, my body is strong enough, with some help, to overcome it,” he said. “There’s no way out over there. I have another way out if it were to happen.”
Turner expects to leave on his 6-week trip Sunday. In his final week, he says he won’t see patients.
“My plan was to stay home for a couple of weeks anyways,” he said. “Most healthcare workers do it anyways.”
His self-quarantine plan covers the 21-day incubation period for Ebola.
It’s not the first time Turner has traveled to help those in need, having spent time treating people after Hurricane Katrina and an earthquake in Haiti.
Health
Turner brings with him his nursing skills and his expertise as a clinical psychologist specializing in traumatized kids.
He is also a practitioner of yoga and has been a vegetarian for 40 years.
With the right tools to manage extreme emotion, he says he's found people to be magnificently resilient.
“People need help and I think I can help,” he said.
