As of Tuesday, Amber Vinson and Nina Pham, the two Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital nurses to get Ebola after treating Thomas Eric Duncan, are Ebola-free. It's remarkable, inspiring news. Seeing the two speak at their post-release press conference was, in a way, like seeing someone back from the dead.
Then there's Bentley. Bentley, as you surely know, is Pham's impish, year-old King Charles Spaniel. After Pham's diagnosis, he was taken from her Marquita Avenue duplex to be monitored for signs of Ebola at Hensley Field in Grand Prairie. The dog's now officially Ebola free, so he's going to be reunited with Pham tomorrow.
That's awesome.
Unfair Park couldn't be happier for Pham and Bentley. We look forward to seeing video of them getting back together.
All of that being said, what's happening tomorrow at 9 a.m. is ridiculous.
After Pham reunites with Bentley, there's going to be a press conference. Attended by both Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. Dr. Wesley Bissett, a Texas A&M vet who helped care for Bentley will speak, as will Jody Jones from Dallas Animal Services.
On a certain level, it makes sense. The reunion should be a cathartic moment for Pham and Bentley. People around the world have supported Bentley. Holding a media event like this just seems a little gauche. Pham's said she realizes how much the public cares about the dog and seeing a happy ending, which is certainly true, we just don't know what Rawlings and Jenkins have to do with it.
