Leprosy survivor has 100th birthday

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Leprosy survivor has 100th birthday

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Seo Teresa celebrates her 100th birthday on April 13 at St. Lazarus village in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province. By Kang Ki-heon

On a lovely recent spring day, the residents of St. Lazarus Village in Uiwang, Gyeonggi held a large birthday party.
But this wasn’t just any birthday party: It was for a leper.
People were busy cooking and serving in the Catholic Church-granted asylum for the leper and other patients of the disease. Leprosy, also called Hansen’s disease, is a chronic bacterial disease that affects the skin, peripheral nerves and upper airway.
On the mild day, the longtime leprosy patient, Seo Teresa, had become a centenarian.
Seo has lived a lonely life there for more than half of her life.
She was diagnosed with leprosy in the mid-1950s.
Even though she wanted to continue to live happily with her husband and daughter, she had to be separated because of the possibility of infection, as well as a deep-seated prejudice in society.
When she turned 100 on April 13, however, she did not need to be isolated any more.
Some 200 volunteers from across the country took part in her birthday party and celebrated her longevity.
No patient in the village has reached their 100th birthday since its foundation in 1950.
In addition, Seo’s 70-year-old daughter, Park Eun-suk, who has lived apart from her mother for a long time, also participated in the event.
But it was a bittersweet day for for Park as well.
“Except for my husband and son, no one knows that I am here,” Park said.
“I am so sad about the reality that I had to celebrate my mother’s birthday in secret.”
During Seo’s 100th birthday party, the village was alive with happy patients and volunteers.
Currently, the number of patients in the St. Lazarus town is down to 73 after 10 patients died last year.
About 11,000 supporters have tried to work against a deep-seated prejudice while they seek donations for the town.
The prejudice stems from fear and misunderstanding.
Hansen’s disease is not highly transmissible and is very treatable.
“If they get proper treatment, leprous patients are able to live their lives like other people,” said Park Gwi-ok, a 58-year-old volunteer.
“If people do not look down on the patients from a biased viewpoint, they do not need to be isolated anymore.”
A priest named Kim Hwa-tae works as a director at St. Lazarus village.
Kim maintained that Seo’s longevity could help other people lose their prejudice against lepers.


By Kang Ki-heon JoongAng Ilbo [spark@joongang.co.kr]
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