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Authors: Richard Preston
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around the Institute were skeptical of her ability to work in a space suit in Level 4. She was a “married female”—and therefore, they claimed, she might panic. They claimed that her hands looked nervous or clumsy, not good for work with Level 4 hot agents. People felt that she might cut herself or stick herself with a contaminated needle—or stick someone else. Her hands became a safety issue. But the real issue was that she was a woman.
Her immediate superior was Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Johnson (he is not related to GeneJohnson, the civilian who was the head of the Ebola project). Tony Johnson is a soft-spoken man and a cool customer. Now he had to decide whether to allow her to go into Biosafety Level 4. Wanting to be sure he understood the situation, he sent word around the Institute: Who knows Nancy Jaax? Who can comment on her strengths and weaknesses? Major Jerry Jaax, Nancy’s husband, showed up in Lieutenant Colonel Johnson’s office. Jerry was against the idea of his wife putting on a space suit. He argued strongly against it. He said that there had been “family discussions” about Nancy working with Ebola virus. “Family discussions.” Jerry had said to Nancy, “You’re the only wife I’ve got” … He did not wear a biological space suit himself at work, and he did not want his wife to wear one either. His biggest concern was that she would be handling Ebola. He could not stand the idea that his wife, the woman he loved, the mother of their children, would hold in her hands a monstrous life form that is lethal and incurable.
Lieutenant Colonel Tony Johnson listened to what Major Jerry Jaax had to say, and listened to what other people had to say, and then he felt he should speak with Nancy himself, and so he called her into his office. He could see that she was tense. He watched her hands as she talked. They looked fine to him, not clumsy, and not too quick, either. He decided that the rumors he had been hearing about her hands were unfounded. She said to him, “I don’t want any special favors.”Well, she was not going to get any special favors. “I’m going to put you in the Ebola program,” he said. He told her that he would allow her to put on a space suit and go into the Ebola area, and that he would accompany her on the first few trips, to teach her how to do it and to observe her hands at work. He would watch her like a hawk. He believed that she was ready for total immersion in a hot zone.
As he spoke, she broke down and cried in front of him—“had a few tears,” as he would later recall. They were tears of happiness. At that moment, to hold Ebola virus in her hands was what she wanted more than anything else in the world.
1300 HOURS
Nancy spent the morning doing paperwork in her office. After lunch, she removed her diamond engagement ring and her wedding band and locked them in her desk drawer. She dropped by Tony Johnson’s office and asked him if he was ready to go in. They went downstairs and along a corridor to the Ebola suite. There was only one locker room leading into it. Tony Johnson insisted that Nancy Jaax go in first, to get changed. He would follow.
The room was small and contained a few lockers along one wall, some shelves, and a mirror over a sink. She undressed, removing all of her clothing, including her underwear, and put everythingin her locker. She left the Band-Aid stuck to her hand. From a shelf, she took up a sterile surgical scrub suit—green pants and a green shirt, the clothing that a surgeon wears in an operating room—and she dragged on the pants and tied the drawstring at the waist, and snapped the shirt’s snaps. You were not allowed to wear anything under the scrub suit, no underwear. She pulled a cloth surgical cap over her head and tucked her hair up into the cap while looking in the mirror. She did not appear nervous, but she was starting to feel a little bit nervous. This was only her second trip into a hot area.
Standing in her
Her immediate superior was Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Johnson (he is not related to GeneJohnson, the civilian who was the head of the Ebola project). Tony Johnson is a soft-spoken man and a cool customer. Now he had to decide whether to allow her to go into Biosafety Level 4. Wanting to be sure he understood the situation, he sent word around the Institute: Who knows Nancy Jaax? Who can comment on her strengths and weaknesses? Major Jerry Jaax, Nancy’s husband, showed up in Lieutenant Colonel Johnson’s office. Jerry was against the idea of his wife putting on a space suit. He argued strongly against it. He said that there had been “family discussions” about Nancy working with Ebola virus. “Family discussions.” Jerry had said to Nancy, “You’re the only wife I’ve got” … He did not wear a biological space suit himself at work, and he did not want his wife to wear one either. His biggest concern was that she would be handling Ebola. He could not stand the idea that his wife, the woman he loved, the mother of their children, would hold in her hands a monstrous life form that is lethal and incurable.
Lieutenant Colonel Tony Johnson listened to what Major Jerry Jaax had to say, and listened to what other people had to say, and then he felt he should speak with Nancy himself, and so he called her into his office. He could see that she was tense. He watched her hands as she talked. They looked fine to him, not clumsy, and not too quick, either. He decided that the rumors he had been hearing about her hands were unfounded. She said to him, “I don’t want any special favors.”Well, she was not going to get any special favors. “I’m going to put you in the Ebola program,” he said. He told her that he would allow her to put on a space suit and go into the Ebola area, and that he would accompany her on the first few trips, to teach her how to do it and to observe her hands at work. He would watch her like a hawk. He believed that she was ready for total immersion in a hot zone.
As he spoke, she broke down and cried in front of him—“had a few tears,” as he would later recall. They were tears of happiness. At that moment, to hold Ebola virus in her hands was what she wanted more than anything else in the world.
1300 HOURS
Nancy spent the morning doing paperwork in her office. After lunch, she removed her diamond engagement ring and her wedding band and locked them in her desk drawer. She dropped by Tony Johnson’s office and asked him if he was ready to go in. They went downstairs and along a corridor to the Ebola suite. There was only one locker room leading into it. Tony Johnson insisted that Nancy Jaax go in first, to get changed. He would follow.
The room was small and contained a few lockers along one wall, some shelves, and a mirror over a sink. She undressed, removing all of her clothing, including her underwear, and put everythingin her locker. She left the Band-Aid stuck to her hand. From a shelf, she took up a sterile surgical scrub suit—green pants and a green shirt, the clothing that a surgeon wears in an operating room—and she dragged on the pants and tied the drawstring at the waist, and snapped the shirt’s snaps. You were not allowed to wear anything under the scrub suit, no underwear. She pulled a cloth surgical cap over her head and tucked her hair up into the cap while looking in the mirror. She did not appear nervous, but she was starting to feel a little bit nervous. This was only her second trip into a hot area.
Standing in her
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