TB Patient: "I'm Very Sorry"

Atlanta Attorney With Dangerous Strain Of Tuberculosis Says CDC "Abandoned" Him In Europe

(CBS/AP)  The tuberculosis patient who sparked nationwide outrage after taking two trans-Atlantic flights despite warnings not to fly apologized for his actions, but said he felt "abandoned" by U.S. health officials.

"I'm very sorry for any grief or pain that I've caused anyone," Andrew Speaker, the 31-year-old Atlanta lawyer at the center of the health scare, said.

Speaker said none of his doctors, nor officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said he was contagious or that anyone was at risk.

In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America," from his hospital room in Denver, Speaker explained that flying overseas for his wedding and honeymoon, while not encouraged by health officials, was never forbidden.

"I hope they understand, that based on what I was told, I didn’t think I was making that gamble," Speaker said.

"I've lived in this state of constant fear and anxiety for a week now, and to think that someone else now is feeling that, I wouldn't want anyone to feel that way.

"I don't expect those people to ever forgive me. I just hope they understand that I truly never meant them any harm," he said.

Jason Vik, one of the people Speaker put at risk, was glad to get the apology, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella.

"I'm very impressed with him, I'm glad he came out and apologized," he said.

Vik's tuberculosis test came back with no signs of bacteria in his system. Although he must be tested again in two months, he says it's a relief.

Speaker's father, also a lawyer, taped a meeting with the CDC prior to leaving for his honeymoon.

"My father said, 'OK, now are you saying, prefer not to go on the trip because he's a risk to anybody, or are you simply saying that to cover yourself?' And they said, we have to tell you that to cover ourself, but he's not a risk."

Speaker, his new wife and her 8-year-old daughter were already in Europe for the wedding when the CDC contacted him and told him to turn himself in immediately at a clinic there and not take another commercial flight.

Speaker said he felt as if the CDC had suddenly "abandoned him." He said he believed if he did not get back to a specialized clinic in Denver, he would die.

"Before I left, I knew that it was made clear to me, that in order to fight this, I had one shot, and that was going to be in Denver," he said. If doctors in Europe tried to treat him and it went wrong, he said, "it's very real that I could have died there."

Additionally, Speaker, a personal injury attorney, could sue the federal government for being quarantined on the basis of federal regulations that some scholars see as unconstitutional.

Speaker will stay in a room with specially designed ventilation to prevent germs from escaping, and doctors will try as many as five different antibiotics first, reports Cobiella. If that doesn't work, they'll resort to surgery.

Speaker, however, could be sued by fellow airline passengers, especially if any caught the disease from him — which some legal scholars say is much more likely.

"He may be personally liable if someone contracts TB" from being near him on his recent flights to and from Europe, said Peter Jacobson, a University of Michigan professor of public health law. "I can see a jury coming down very hard on someone like that who willfully ignored advice not to travel."

He was quarantined May 25, a day after he was allowed to pass through the border crossing at Champlain, N.Y., along the Canadian border.

As a result, the U.S. border inspector who allowed Speaker back into the country, disregarding a computer warning to stop the man and don protective gear, has been removed from border duty, officials said Thursday.

[gunnerone2]

I agree with most of the post here. Mr. Speaker put everyone around him in danger and " I am sorry " won't cut it. He should be charged for all expenses by the government and individuals for his actions. No one should be out a dime for his actions. If he infected anyone then he should be charged with attempted murder. He knew better and didn't care.
As far as the border patrol agent who let him through, he should lose his job. He wasn't paid to ignore warnings and directives from the government.

[ronright]

In my opinion, the actions by Andrew Speaker are outrageous. I think he should be prosecuted by Dept. of Homeland Security as a bio-terrorist. After he learned of the severity of his condition, he put large numbers of the public at risk by traveling back to the U.S. He apparently intentionally evaded the authorities to get back to America because he "was afraid he would die." Give me a break! It's not like Italy is a third world country without modern healthcare. This punky lawyer thinks the rules don't apply to him. He should do 25 years to life for his actions!

[slim1h2o]

Rudy, This medical system does suck here, done nothing for me.

[slim1h2o]

You're right ERASMUS,

I would'nt forgive him eithere, if he got down on his knees , I would kick him.

You infect others, you deserve to die, or worse.

I was infected by one of my coworkers & hadn't worked in 2 yrs, after spending 2 yrs prior going to the docs for help, & getting harrased at work for doing so.

Naw,... He needs to be shot, not by me though, I'm to sick

[rudy654-2009]

"Mr Speaker said he feared being treated in an Italian hospital.Of course I'm not here to judge his opinions, nor to criticize.However, I'd like to point out that, according to World Health Organization, Italy's health care system is ranked 2nd best in the world, while the U.S. are placed 37th"

No doubt he bought into the stupid propaganda that tells us that the US health care system is the best in the world and people are just rushing over here from Western Europe to benefit from it, and that national health coverage in Italy and other western nations let's their people die while waiting in line. If he believed that kind of stupid propaganda, no wonder he was "snuck" back in to the US.

[rudy654-2009]

"Do you think there is no cause for alarm?"

Not to the degree I see here. The man is being controlled and the facts are that the risk of exposure was very, very low. Stop acting like chickens with your heads cut off. Like a mob ready to cut loose. I am more afraid of your mob like hysterics than I ever will be of this man and his virus.

[erasmus6]

No, "I'm so sorry" doesn't cut it. He needs to get down on his knees and BEG for forgiveness. Of course even then I wouldn't forgive him.

What I have found over the years is that people that are selfish like this, never learn from their mistakes. I bet you if he could do it over, he would do the same thing again.

[oneladymom]

I HAVE READ XDR CAN NOT BE CURED, THEN YOU PICK UP ANOTHER ARTICAL AND IT SAYS IT CAN IF IT'S IN THE EARLY STAGES, GIVE ME A BREAK.. NON OF THESE PEOPLE OR DOCTORS KNOW.. THEY TOO ARE GOING ON PURE SPECULATION AND IT SICKENS ME TO KNOW THESE DAYS THAT YOU CAN GO TO THE DOCTOR AND COMPLAIN ABOUT CHEST PAINS AND COME OUT WITH A LEG AMPUTATED. I AM PURELY DONE. GOOD BYE

[oneladymom]

DON'T WE ALL LIKE BEING MISINFORMED THE MARRIAGE DID NOT GO THROUGH BECAUSE THEY DID NOT SUBMITT THE CORRECT DOCUMENTS. SHAME. WE DON'T KNOW IF HE IS MARRIED OR IF HE HAVE THE STRAIN OF XDR OH MY GOD AND EVERYONE'S BLOOD IS BOWLING OVER NON FACTUAL EVIDENCE.

[slim1h2o]

Janem,

I know you are being sarcastic, but the only one's responsible is his doctors and him.

They should have put him in the hospital immediately, and not let him walk out of the building. And him for Breathing HaHaHahahaaha

[erasmus6]

rudy654

Actually I think you are one of the ones whose brain ain't workin'.

Do you think there is no cause for alarm?
Do you think that this person should get away with this?
I will agree that there are some people that get carried away but overall I think that most are just very concerned and have every right to be.

[retmilspouse]

gottotellya,
This person must be a troll. No one is this ignorant. An elementary school child could read this story and comprehend the facts. He is just totally misrepresenting the facts stated in the article. OMG

[erasmus6]

"...was originally diagnosed with the infection overseas and told he could not travel to U.S. with TB." posted by gottotellya."

Am I missing something or is this person crazy?

[retmilspouse]

gottotellya,
Hey read the story. Can you read English? He was diagnosed here at home, was told to postpone his wedding in Europe, he didn't and flew there anyway. The US officials contacted him on his nice vaca and finally caught up with him in Italy, it was there that they told him to stay put and check in with Italian authorities. He didn't so he did a little sneak through back home via Canada after being warned not to fly trans Atlantic. All he had to do was follow orders and would have been put back on a MedEvac flight to the US. Most of our citizens who find themselves in similar situation overseas have done in the past. Read the article and try to comprehend it.

[retmilspouse]

gottotellya,
Is this a joke? The facts of this story is nothing like what you are commenting on here. He was not in another country helping sick people he was on a flambouyant vaca honeymoon.

[slim1h2o]

Way to go Susan, and Rush well said!

[slim1h2o]

You right Rush!

gottotellya is one of them,, HaHaha

[susanhelit]

gottatellya - if you don't want his disease, why do you think it's OK for him to have spread it around, when he knew he was both extremely sick, and contagious? As to the rest - you obviously haven't even read the story. He was in Italy, on his honeymoon, and there were excellent hospitals he could go to there, until a safe flight could be arranged for him.

He was told he was contagious, with a deadly, drug resistant disease. He was ordered to go to a hospital, and told not to fly, that he was so far forbidden to fly that he was on the Do-Not-Fly list. At that point, right there, he chose to ignore all of this, to risk the lives of every single person he came anywhere near, and go fly and drive around, rather than go to the hospital where he could be prevented from passing his disease on.


We may be lucky. It may be that all the hundreds of people he exposed were healthy enough to fight the illness off. That doesn't mean he didn't commit a crime - if you fire a gun at a bunch of people, and miss, you did commit a crime. But even if we are so very lucky, all these hundreds of people have had to be tracked down and tested, have to spend 2 months worrying, waiting for the second test.


He did plenty wrong - ethically, legally. He's a lousy selfish egotistical jerk who decided his wishes came above anyone else's life. He belongs in jail.

[rushlimpdrug]

"This guy was not careless"
Posted by gottotellya

Are you crazy? or rather, You are crazy.
Plez tell me you live in Atlanta that way I can easily avoid getting a case of dumbazz.

[gottotellya]

I listened to his personal testimony and it is true that he was diagnosed in Atlanta but he was originally diagnosed with the infection overseas and told that he could not travel to the US with the TB. I would not like to be in his medical condition or to have caught it. I also would not like to have a lot of diseases but can empathize with him and his new wife wanting to seek out treatment. I don't think you need to call this guy a piece of *** for seeking medical treatment. This guy was not careless and even the people who were sitting close have testified that now that they understand the situation more they accept what he did. All I am saying to you is read up a bit more on this story. Initially it appears terrible but I would do the same if it were my child or myself needing help.