Nurse cured of Ebola: I'm so fortunate

(CNN) -- She beat Ebola. Now she's eager to resume a normal life -- and reunite with her dog, Bentley.

Nina Pham addressed reporters Friday at the National Institutes of Health hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, shortly after doctors announced that she was free of the Ebola virus.

"I feel fortunate and blessed to be standing here today," she said. "Throughout this ordeal, I have put my faith in God and my medical team."

She said she believes in the power of prayer and thanked people around the world who have prayed for her.



Pham strode to a bank of microphones moments after the NIH's Dr. Anthony Fauci said she was free of the Ebola virus.

Looking composed, the nurse thanked Dr. Kent Brantly, the American physician who also survived Ebola, for donating his plasma to her while she was sick.

She said she has been through a "very stressful and challenging" time and asked for privacy.