Paul Brand grew up in the Kolli Malai hills in India, spending his time up in tree branches and going all year, a barefoot and happy boy. He was determined never to leave India, never to wear shoes and never to be a doctor like his father – especially to lepers.

But before long, he was on his way to school in England, wearing shoes from dawn to dusk and fighting tooth and nail against learning medicine. Years passed, years with tragedy and challenges, until eventually Paul discovered that the God he loved and trusted had the best plan for his life. Paul came back to India with a medical degree and there were patients waiting for him – leprosy patients.

From then on he devoted his life to their care … even to the point of making them special shoes! Paul Brand’s work was influential in the cure and treatment of leprosy throughout the world. This life destroying disease under Paul’s loving care became something treatable and manageable. Lepers no longer needed to be outcasts. Paul’s faith in God, his love for mankind and his medical abilities gave those who suffered from leprosy a new life – and hope.