20. Dr. Matthew Lukwiya
Matthew Lukwiya rose from being a bicycle-riding tea smuggler in his pre-teen years to the head of St. Mary’s Catholic Missionary Hospital in his native Uganda. During a rebellion there in 1989, Lukwiya offered himself to rebels attempting to abduct Italian nuns in their stead. He spent several days in their custody before they released him, still in his surgical clothes. Throughout the rebellion, Lord’s Resistance Movement, his hospital grounds served as a sanctuary for thousands of refugees seeking shelter and food. In 1990 Lukwiya went to Liverpool to study tropical diseases at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, earning a Masters of Science with the highest grades in the history of the school. He then returned to St. Mary’s, spurning an offer to teach at Liverpool.
During the 2000 Ebola outbreak, medical workers at St. Mary’s and other health facilities received support from the CDC, WHO, and other international health organizations. Lukwiya and others worked 14-hour shifts, seven days a week, for several weeks, after which they provided information to the various organizations. Several of the health care workers came down with the disease. Called upon to treat a co-worker in the middle of the night, Lukwiya donned protective clothing, but omitted to put on a face shield to protect his eyes. Likely fatigue and grogginess from being suddenly awakened caused the oversight. Lukwiya contracted the virus, and died nine days later on December 5, 2000. His body was buried the same day, by a group dressed in protective gear. During the burial one participant in the funeral sprayed his coffin with a bleach disinfectant. Mourners were kept at a distance until the burial was completed.