a presence among the lepers … Damien de Veuster …

Damien de Veuster accompanied the lepers of Molokai (Hawaii) in the 19th century. Much of what he did we would today call hospice and palliative care. Many books have been written about him and several movies describe his life. Robert Louis Stevenson defended him. His Memorial is celebrated today. After nearly two decades caring for the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of those in the leper colony, he contracted and died of the disease.