Duck Drop: How my experiences of leprosy have changed me

Mathias in the General Assembly hall of the United Nations in New York

Welcome to the latest Duck Drop blog, a series that we are running in 2026. Each month, TLM International’s communications will focus on a new theme and as a part of that focus, I will be sharing a ‘Duck Drop,’ an opinion piece on the topic at hand. This month we are reflecting on what it means to serve on the front lines of leprosy.

This year, the Duck Drop series has picked up on our themes each month, offering a take on them which we hope will make you think and perhaps challenge your preconceived ideas. This month is a little different.

In August, we have been considering how people across The Leprosy Mission serve in the field with selfless, giving hearts, and the ways that this service changes us. This month, I’d like to consider how my own experiences of working in leprosy have changed me, including how a personal diagnosis of leprosy impacted me and how a career working alongside Organisations of Persons Affected by Leprosy is influencing me day by day.

As this is a personal reflection, I have pieced these thoughts together via audio, so you can listen in below. I hope they spark something in you and allow you to reflect on your own experiences working in the leprosy world, or perhaps inspire you to become more involved in this amazing work.

How did I get started in the leprosy world? As a hospital chaplain.

What was my first impression of leprosy? What was I anxious about?

What were the challenges and successes we faced in that hospital? And how did our success create a challenge for us?

How did I feel when I was first diagnosed with leprosy? What were the fears that played in my mind, despite all the knowledge I already had about the disease?

Now that I work alongside so many Organisations of Persons Affected by Leprosy and work as a global advocate alongside them, what is it that gives me hope in my job?

Duck Drop: How my experiences of leprosy have changed me