American Ebola survivor looks back: 'God uses people all the time'

Aug. 21: Dr. Kent Brantly (left) embraces Director of Emory’s Infectious Diseases Unit, Dr. Bruce Ribner, after he made a statement at Emory University Hospital annex following his discharge. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

Credit: John Spink

Credit: John Spink

Aug. 21: Dr. Kent Brantly (left) embraces Director of Emory’s Infectious Diseases Unit, Dr. Bruce Ribner, after he made a statement at Emory University Hospital annex following his discharge. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM

Kent Brantly doesn't know if it was God or science that saved him from Ebola, a deadly disease that killed thousands during a 2014 outbreak in West Africa — and he's OK not knowing.

"I don't know how God works, but I know how the laws of science work," Brantly, who contracted the virus while doing medical missionary work in Liberia, told AJC Editor Kevin Riley this week. "God uses people all the time. He's the author of the laws of nature."

In a phone call to prepare for a session at the AJC Decatur Book Festival this weekend, Brantly explained why he and wife Amber wrote "Called for Life: How Loving our Neighbor Led Us into the Heart of the Ebola Epidemic."

Their memoir is an inspiring and frank account of their experience; in a world where it’s common for people to try and turn their unexpected celebrity into lasting fame, the Brantlys simply write about what happened and what they were feeling.

"Our story has been told in snippets," Brantly said. "We wanted to share our whole story, so that God could use our story."

Click here to read an excerpt of the Brantlys memoir published in the Personal Journeys series