Rubber sandals - Embrace the pain of patients with leprosy

The intense pain of patients with leprosy

Van Mon Leprosy and Dermatology Hospital located in Vu Thu district, Thai Binh province is the home of more than 100 elderly patients suffering from the evil leprosy. The hospital was originally the Van Mon Facility for leprosy patients, opened in 1900. It was built in an isolated area on the banks of the river to avoid the disease infecting the community. With rudimentary material equipment, the lives of the patients here are both materially and spiritually inadequate.

(Van Mon Leprosy and Dermatology Hospital captured by The Reminisced)

For nearly a whole life, the elderly have lived in this place, eating, talking together, sharing the pain of illness, sharing about family, about the children that they could not meet again. The patients told us about their lives, about their illustrious youth, which now only remain in the memories. Spending a whole life in this place, squirming around a few buildings, their lives just passed quietly, perhaps the physical pain is gone, but how can the pain in soul be erased?

Spending more time here, we understood more and more the sufferings that the patients had gone through. To earn a living, they had to wade through the mud, to catch fish, shrimp, and it is the reason why many elderly people have been ravaged by this disease. Leprosy has eaten away the hands and feet of the elderly, making it a hundred times harder at this age.

(The pain left behind by the evil disease captured by The Reminisced)

Rubber sandals - embracing the pain

This leprosy disease especially affects the feet of the elderly, because he infection has paralyzed previously normal feet, making it harder to move around in regular sandals. Miraculously, the specialized rubber sandals are made by the the doctors here. They are not the shoemakers but also the healers, with the mission of easing both physical and mental pain of the elderly.

These sandals have helped to reduce the pain of the patient when walking. The doctor shared that making a pair of these sandals is much more complicated than ordinary sandals as leprosy patients often have inflammation in the soles of their feet. Therefore, hey must measure the correct size so that the sandals can avoid touching the wound and are compatible with the patient's feet. Each person will have a different design of sandals, even if it is the same person, various sizes of sandals have to be specifically made to fit each foot.

The happiness appears on the face of the patients when receiving these sandals. Happy that they are now will less feel inconvenient to walk, less painful than before. Many elderly people have confided that without those sandals, it would be very painful for them to go anywhere. The patients called the doctor who made these sandals with a lovely name "sander man", a simple name but filled with love, and even thankful for helping them to lead a better life.

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s Disease, is a mildly infectious disease. Leprosy is caused by a bacillus called Mycobacterium leprae. It mainly affects the skin, nerves and eyes.Around 200,000 people across the world are diagnosed with leprosy each year. Leprosy is curable and, if treated quickly, will cause no long-term consequences for a person.

Your thought about leprosy patients after reading the article?

• Don't care much as it's not my business
• Feel sorry for them but still afraid of this disease
• Feel empathy and want to go there to visit the elderly