[News Figures] Nurses Margaret and Marianne, Mothers of Hansen's Disease Patients

Nurse Margaret Pisarek, who devoted her entire life to leprosy patients on Sorokdo Island in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do. Margaret, who passed away at the age of 88 last month on the 29th in her hometown of Austria, was known as the "Angel of Sorokdo" and the "Mother of Leprosy Patients" along with her colleague Nurse Marianne St?ger (89). Although they took lifelong vows in the Catholic Church, they lived as lay secular members rather than nuns, dedicating themselves to service.

Both graduated from the Innsbruck Nursing School in Austria and came to Korea in 1959 through the relief organization Damia Foundation. They decided to serve in Korea, which was devastated and impoverished after the war, and were dispatched to Sorokdo Island in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do in 1962 and 1966 respectively. The conditions in Sorokdo village, where leprosy patients were isolated and lived together, were unimaginably severe. There was no question of having proper medicine, and even basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter were not adequately provided.

Nurse Margaret Pisarek (left) and Nurse Marianne St?ger, who cared for patients on Sorokdo Island.
[Photo provided by the Marianne and Margaret Foundation]

Although 95% of the world's population has natural resistance to leprosy, at that time, when medical knowledge was not well established, even Korean doctors hesitated to touch leprosy patients. Marianne and Margaret started every day by preparing warm milk for patients who had difficulty even swallowing orally, disinfected their chapped hands and feet with bare hands, administered medicine, and ate meals with them, building close relationships.

Due to prejudice and discrimination against leprosy, patients who found it difficult to open their hearts to others healed their bodies and minds through small daily conversations with Marianne and Margaret. For leprosy patients who had been isolated from their parents since childhood, they also played the role of mothers.

Patients who used to respectfully call Marianne and Margaret "Sister" in their youth affectionately called the two nurses "Halmae" (grandmother) as they grew older, and it is known that Marianne and Margaret liked this nickname the most.

Nurse Margaret Pisarek (right) and Nurse Marianne St?ger, who cared for patients on Sorokdo Island.
[Photo provided by Marianne and Margaret Foundation]

The Korean government recognized Margaret and Marianne's dedication to nursing and improving the welfare of leprosy patients without pay for many years by awarding them the National Medal in 1972, the Presidential Citation in 1983, and the National Medal of Moran in 1996.

Marianne and Margaret, who served on Sorokdo Island for 40 years without receiving a single penny, quietly left Sorokdo in November 2005 without informing anyone, leaving only a letter saying, "We do not want to be a burden to the islanders," and returned to their hometown Austria as their bodies aged, health deteriorated, and it became difficult to care for patients.

After returning to Austria, Marianne was known to be battling cancer, and Margaret was living in a nursing home with mild dementia, but efforts to remember their noble deeds began in earnest. Movements to honor the two women became active around Sorokdo Cathedral, the National Sorokdo Hospital, and Goheung-gun, and in 2016, Nurse Marianne was invited to visit Korea. Margaret was unable to come due to poor health at that time.

Margaret, who ultimately never set foot on Korean soil again until her passing, expressed her wish to donate her body to a university for anatomical study, continuing her dedication to society until the very end.

Father Kim Yeon-jun of the Catholic Archdiocese of Gwangju, who visited Austria in September 2017 to meet Margaret, said, "She still remembered the names of the neighbors living on Sorokdo at that time and was curious about how they were doing. Like all mothers, her boundless affection for the leprosy patients was felt even as time passed. I hope we do not forget and always remember the name of someone who devoted her life for us."

Gong Young-min, the mayor of Goheung-gun, expressed in a condolence message, "We will forever remember Margaret’s noble spirit of sharing and service, who humbly devoted her life to leprosy patients from the lowest place, and we pray for eternal rest with the hearts of all the residents."