Surgeon who died of Ebola receives a hero's memorial in Maryland Of the hundreds who came to St. Mary's Catholic Church in Landover Hills on Saturday, only a few knew Martin Salia personally. Others saw him on television or heard about him on the radio. All who came, including a senior White House official and Sierra Leone's ambassador, heard him honored as a hero who sacrificed his life helping his homeland. Speakers invoked language typically reserved for military officers. A 44-year-old surgeon who split time between working in his native Sierra Leone's hospitals and spending time with his family in New Carrollton, Salia died of Ebola Nov. 17. He considered it his mission to provide health care in West Africa, where doctors are in short supply, and he contracted the disease while doing so. Medical experts say he might have lived if the disease had been detected earlier. His initial test came back negative. Salia's death came to highlight the hazards of dealing with Ebola, which has stricken several countries in West Africa. More than 1,339 cases have been reported in Sierra Leone since Nov. 1, including that of Komba Songu M'Briwa, the physician who treated Salia. Attendants did not mourn the loss but thanked Salia for helping his country at a time of need. His memorial served as a moment of emotional exhale for the region's community of West Africans, who are paying close attention to the disease's spread. Sierra Leone Ambassador Bockari Stevens told churchgoers that he called on the United States and other countries to "do more" and "help ensure that this scourge is blighted in West Africa." Ron Klain, President Obama's Ebola response coordinator, told the attendants that Stevens's call was "justified." He assured parishioners at St. Mary's that the United States is devoting "unprecedented resources" to help fight Ebola in West Africa - and is encouraging other countries to do the same. "The world's response was too late, but now, help is coming," Klain told the audience to thunderous applause. But he also came to extend his gratitude to Salia and his family. "The greatest heroes are the people who chose to face dangers, who volunteer to put themselves at risk to help others," Klain told them. Martin Salia was such a man. Following his remarks, Klain handed an envelope to Salia's wife, Isatu. He said the envelope contained a personal letter from the president. She sat between sons Maada Martin, 20, and Hinwaii Sakatty, 12. At the service, friends and family recalled Salia as a man whose religious faith inspired his desire to provide access to quality health care. Ram Srinivasan, who trained with him in Cameroon, noted that Salia went against the stereotype of surgeons as rushed and uncaring. They called him "Mr. Hospitality." "There was no stopping his boundless energy, his patience," Srinivasan said. He was always seeking to do the right thing. He always sought the next big challenge, said Daniel Koroma, who had known Salia for decades. Despite all the work Salia was doing in Sierra Leone, Koroma said the surgeon longed to build a hospital of his own. He also wanted to pursue his doctorate in the United States. In January, Koroma said he was again struck by Salia's hospitality. He had been visiting the country when his in-laws fell ill. Salia called his old friend. Somehow, the surgeon heard his in-laws were sick. "He told me to bring them in," said Koroma, who is a community outreach manager for Montgomery County. I knew he was a busy man, and here he was reaching out to me. Koroma just didn't figure how busy. He estimated there were 80 people waiting to see the doctor. Salia saw his in-laws anyway. "That's the type of person he was," Koroma said. He was always going out of his way to help people he cared about.