After being declared Ebola-free on Oct. 24, Nina Pham was finally allowed to return home to Fort Worth late Friday night.
Pham, the Dallas nurse who became the first person in the United States to have contracted the deadly Ebola virus, arrived at Meacham Airport a little before midnight after her 13-day confinement at a biocontainment unit facility in the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
Pham's mother Diana and sister Cathy accompanied her from the hospital to the airport. Her father Peter welcomed her back in Texas once the plane arrived.
She contracted the Ebola virus after caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian who became the first patient diagnosed with the disease in the U.S. Duncan was admitted at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, where Pham works. Duncan died on Oct. 8.
Aside from the 26-year-old nurse, her co-worker Amber Vinson also contracted the disease.
Before heading home, Pham met with President Barack Obama at the White House on Friday morning after being released from the hospital. The U.S. president hugged her and congratulated her for beating the disease.
Pham faced the media afterward, where she expressed her gratitude for all those who helped her during her confinement.
"I would first and foremost like to thank God, my family, and friends," the nurse said. "I believe in the power of prayer because I know so many people all over the world have been praying for me. I do not know how I can ever thank everyone enough for their prayers and their expressions of concern, hope and love."
Pham also expressed that she wants to return to her normal life once she gets home, and would like to reunite with her dog Bentley.
However, her planned reunion with her King Charles spaniel will not happen until Saturday, after Bentley is released from his own quarantined confinement.
Bentley has been in isolation since Pham was diagnosed with Ebola for fears that he might have contracted the disease as well. Veterinarians from the Dallas County are making sure that he is Ebola-free before he is allowed to go home.
