Dallas nurse Amber Vinson tested negative for Ebola and no longer has the virus in her body as of Tuesday night, People reported on Thursday.
She's optimistic and steadily growing stronger, according to a statement from her family.
"Amber and our family are ecstatic to receive this latest report on her condition," wrote Vinson's mom, Debra Berry. "We all know that further treatment will be necessary as Amber continues to regain strength, but these latest developments have truly answered prayers and bring our family one step closer to reuniting with her at home."
Her family said they were taken aback when some said Vinson, 29, was careless in flying from Texas to Cleveland over Columbus Day weekend to plan her wedding. Vinson was cleared to fly by the CDC when she was reporting her body temperature before departure.
Vinson volunteered to care for Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person in the United States to contract Ebola.
"She's infected for doing something so selfless. We should be applauding her courage," Vinson's friend Emilia Sykes told People.
Family spokesman Steven Jumper released the statement along with a photo of Vinson in the hospital, supposedly taken on Wednesday night, WKYC reported.
Vinson's colleague, Nina Pham, also contracted the virus at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital while treating Duncan. Now she is receiving treatment at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Her condition is said to have been upgraded from fair to good on Tuesday.
