( CNN ) Just eight months ago , a young woman named Fatu Kekula was single-handedly trying to save her Ebola-stricken family , donning trash bags to protect herself against the deadly virus . Today , because of a CNN story and the generosity of donors from around the world , Kekula wears scrubs bearing the emblem of the Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing in Atlanta , where she 's learning skills she can take back home to care for her fellow Liberians . `` It 's a surprise -- a young child like me who came from a very poor background coming to the U.S. , '' she said . `` I 'm thankful to CNN and I appreciate the people who made donations , and I 'm thankful to Emory for accepting me to study . '' At Emory , Kekula has asked for special training on certain skills , such as caring for burns , a common type of injury because children in Liberia sometimes fall into the open fires used for cooking . One of her instructors , Kelly Fullwood , said Kekula 's an excellent student who has taught her teachers a thing or two about how to do procedures without costly equipment , as she 's been forced to do in Liberia . `` She fascinates me every day , '' Fullwood said . `` She gets nursing . She gets what it 's about . '' Kekula , 23 , was just a year away from finishing up her nursing degree in Liberia when Ebola struck and her mother , father , sister and cousin came down with the disease . Hospitals were full and no doctors would visit her home , so with just advice from a physician on the phone , Kekula took care of all four of her relatives at the same time . All but her cousin survived -- a high success rate considering that at the time , about 70 % of Ebola patients were dying in Liberia . Kekula could n't continue her nursing education in Liberia , because the schools had closed . A CNN story about Kekula in September prompted donations from around the world to IAM , an organization that raises money to help African natives pay for education . David Smith , an associate dean at Emory 's nursing school , said they accepted Kekula because they were struck by how both she and Emory each treated four Ebola patients at around the same time last year -- and Emory had dozens of doctors and nurses and millions of dollars in technology while Kekula had nobody and nearly no supplies . Stop Ebola where it starts . `` It was obvious to us that this woman was intelligent and strong and fearless , '' he said . Kekula is scheduled to return to Liberia in August . `` These things that I have learned here I am going to take back to my fellow nurses , '' she said . `` I love to care for people . I love to save lives . '' Extraordinary people .
Fatu Kekula , 23 , saved most of her family from Ebola . She was the only one who survived Kekula was one year away from finishing a nursing degree when Ebola struck .