--- title: Ebola Survivor, NBC freelancer, Ashoka Mukpo Speaks Out description: Ebola survivor and NBC freelancer Ashoka Mukpo says "today is a joyful day," in a statement he released Wednesday about his recovery. Mukpo, who was... canonical: https://time.com/3531879/ebola-survivor-nbc-freelancer-ashoka-mukpo-doctors-without-borders/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-22T17:45:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:00:26.142Z article:section: Health og:title: Ebola Survivor, NBC freelancer, Ashoka Mukpo Speaks Out og:description: Ebola survivor and NBC freelancer Ashoka Mukpo says "today is a joyful day," in a statement he released Wednesday about his recovery. Mukpo, who was... og:url: https://time.com/3531879/ebola-survivor-nbc-freelancer-ashoka-mukpo-doctors-without-borders/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt86ff2baf5711da8c/698762453c163937a344f379/ashoka-mukpo2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1369 og:image:height: 770 og:image:alt: American video journalist Ashoka Mukpo at an iron ore mining camp in Bong County, Liberia in Aug. 2013 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ebola Survivor, NBC freelancer, Ashoka Mukpo Speaks Out twitter:description: Ebola survivor and NBC freelancer Ashoka Mukpo says "today is a joyful day," in a statement he released Wednesday about his recovery. Mukpo, who was... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt86ff2baf5711da8c/698762453c163937a344f379/ashoka-mukpo2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ebola Survivor Speaks Out: 'Blessed to Be Alive' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. 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Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: Nigeria is an Ebola Success Story: Here's What The Country Did Right [Watch (HLS stream): Nigeria is an Ebola Success Story: Here's What The Country Did Right](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mSo7iFZ3.m3u8) (2:43)  _Published 2014-10-21. The World Health Organization declared Nigeria free of Ebola on Monday, a containment victory in an outbreak that has stymied other countries’ response efforts._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Oct 22, 2014 5:45 PM UTC  American video journalist Ashoka Mukpo at an iron ore mining camp in Bong County, Liberia in Aug. 2013 American video journalist Ashoka Mukpo at an iron ore mining camp in Bong County, Liberia in Aug. 2013 Philip Marcelo—AP by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Oct 22, 2014 5:45 PM UTC Ebola survivor and NBC freelancer Ashoka Mukpo says “today is a joyful day,” in a [statement](http://m.livewellnebraska.com/ebola/ashoka-mukpo-s-statement-after-release-from-nebraska-medical-center/article%5F902b7192-5a05-11e4-97ba-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm) he released Wednesday about his recovery. Mukpo, who was infected with Ebola while working in Liberia, was evacuated to Nebraska Medical Center for treatment. “I owe this staff a debt I can’t ever repay,” said Mukpo in a statement. The fact that Mukpo was able to be treated in America is a circumstance that weighs on him, he writes: “I feel profoundly blessed to be alive, and in the same breath aware of the global inequalities that allowed me to be flown to an American hospital when so many Liberians die alone with minimal care.” He thanked everyone from the United States State Department, to Doctors Without Borders to NBC. He paid a special thanks to fellow [survivor](http://time.com/3270016/ebola-survivor-kent-brantly/) Dr. Kent Brantly, who [donated](http://time.com/3481314/kent-brantly-ashoka-mukpo-blood/) blood to Mukpo. “May his health flourish and his compassion be known to all,” said Mukpo. Mukpo was declared free of Ebola and released from the hospital on Oct. 21\. It’s unclear how exactly he was infected with the disease. Mukpo says he plans to discuss his experience in writing, and will talk to media, but for now he is spending time with his family and asks for privacy. You can read his full statement [here](http://m.livewellnebraska.com/ebola/ashoka-mukpo-s-statement-after-release-from-nebraska-medical-center/article%5F902b7192-5a05-11e4-97ba-001a4bcf6878.html?mode=jqm). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3531879/ebola-survivor-nbc-freelancer-ashoka-mukpo-doctors-without-borders/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3531879/ebola-survivor-nbc-freelancer-ashoka-mukpo-doctors-without-borders/"},"headline":"Ebola Survivor Speaks Out: 'Blessed to Be Alive'","datePublished":"2014-10-22T17:45:02.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:00:26.142Z","description":"Ebola survivor and NBC freelancer Ashoka Mukpo says \"today is a joyful day,\" in a statement he released Wednesday about his recovery. 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