The 26-year-old nurse contracted the virus while treating patient Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. She was diagnosed on October 12 and declared free of the virus on Friday.

“Although I no longer have Ebola, I know that it may be awhile before I have my strength back,” Nina said (via CNN). “So with gratitude and respect for everyone’s concern, I ask for my privacy and for my family’s privacy to be respected as I return to Texas and try to get back to a normal life and reunite with my dog, Bentley.”

Nina‘s dog Bentley was placed in quarantined and will remain there until the end of the month, though she will get to visit, hold, and play with him this weekend.