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North Texas Man Loses 7 Liberian Family Members To Ebola

ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - Few in North Texas understand the danger of Ebola better than Albert Travell.

"It's horrifying," said the Arlington man.

Two months ago Travell received a call from his home country of Liberia.

His niece had died.

Before doctors diagnosed her with the Ebola virus, six more of his family members suffered the same fate.

"Traditionally, since she was a lady, the ladies came around to take care of her body so that's how they got the disease from her," Travell explained.

Ebola-Death
(credit: CBS 11 News)

Back in May Travell traveled to Liberia with the non-profit Power from the SON to provide electricity to schools and hospitals.

At the time there were few travel restrictions and Travell said concerns about Ebola never entered his mind,

Weeks after he returned to the US, the areas he helped provide electricity were under 24-hour curfew.

The threat of Ebola stopped the non-profit's missionary work and most of everyday life.

While Travell acknowledges the U.S. is far better equipped to handle the virus, he said he's still "afraid".

"We pray to God that one of these days everything will be over," he said.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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