Welcome to the memorial page for
Dr. Margaret Brand
June 19, 1919 ~ November 17, 2014 (age 95) 95 Years Old Light a Candle
Leave a Condolence
Message from Seattle area
October 30, 2023 8:50 AM
Remembering with gratitude, wonder and celebration Drs. Paul and Margaret.
Oh the blessing through the family of God!! God ministered to me mightily through He Satisfies My Soul when I read it in about 2000.
Now, just as powerfully he is using Fearfully and Wonderfully. So healing. So powerful.
These “times”—I have marveled and wept over the body (mine) and Ours (this mysterious Bride of Christ, the Church).
Upon finishing this beautiful collaboration (what a picture of Body grace!!) I wept and looked up the doctors. Stunned (though somehow not surprised :-) to realize that they were so near to me!!
God bless the children, grandchildren of Dr. Paul and Margaret Brand (as he has and will! His righteousness and word throughout the generations!).
Oh the blessing through the family of God!! God ministered to me mightily through He Satisfies My Soul when I read it in about 2000.
Now, just as powerfully he is using Fearfully and Wonderfully. So healing. So powerful.
These “times”—I have marveled and wept over the body (mine) and Ours (this mysterious Bride of Christ, the Church).
Upon finishing this beautiful collaboration (what a picture of Body grace!!) I wept and looked up the doctors. Stunned (though somehow not surprised :-) to realize that they were so near to me!!
God bless the children, grandchildren of Dr. Paul and Margaret Brand (as he has and will! His righteousness and word throughout the generations!).
A candle was lit by Autumn Smith
on October 30, 2023 8:40 AM
A candle was lit by Karyn
on February 2, 2023 3:00 PM
Message from Dr. Gilbert Mateeka - Director of Rugarama Mission Hospital Kabale Uganda.
February 25, 2015 9:43 PM
I have been reading "Vision of God" and upon completion, I was missing the Brands, a family truly dedicated to the vision God entrusted them. I googled 'Dr. Margaret Brand' only to find that she had only recently joined Dr. Paul who had gone on ahead of her. They lived a true servant life and have rested, but even in death they still touch lives. Their story is the best I have ever read and I have been blessed, challenged, encouraged and inspired in a very unique way by 'Vision of God'. May God bless the Brand extended family.
A candle was lit by Dr. Gilbert Mateeka- Kabale Uganda
on February 25, 2015 9:24 PM
A candle was lit by Dr. Gilbert Mateeka- Kabale Uganda
on February 25, 2015 9:24 PM
A candle was lit by Chaplain & Mrs. Ray McPherson
on February 12, 2015 7:09 AM
A candle was lit by Chaplain & Mrs. Ray McPherson
on February 12, 2015 7:09 AM
A candle was lit by Chaplain and Mrs. Ray McPherson
on February 12, 2015 6:49 AM
Message from Gail & Randy James
January 9, 2015 4:23 PM
Sorry for the loss of Ms. Margaret but happy that she is home in heaven with her beloved Paul and without pain. Ms. Margaret was such a great support to us and her words of wisdom will never be forgotten. Her amazing relationship to Jesus kept me focused and on track and yearning for more everyday. All the best to the family.
Message from Scott & Karen Schroedel
January 8, 2015 8:42 PM
It was a joy & blessing to have known her.
Message from Peter Derrick and friends at effect:hope, The Leprosy Mission Canada
January 8, 2015 8:21 AM
My first introduction to Margaret was in 1992, when The Leprosy Mission Canada held a special three-day symposium as an extension to our AGM, to celebrate the beginning of our centennial year. Hundreds of Canadians attended the symposium, not only to celebrate, but also to learn about leprosy and its effects on the people we served. Both Margaret and her husband Paul delivered presentations at the event. I remember how Margaret’s detailed account of how leprosy affected the eyes kept the entire audience of 500+ people spellbound.
Over the years, my respect and affection for her grew ever deeper as I came to understand a little about the sacrifices that she and Paul had made in choosing to serve overseas among the very poor. I recall that for Margaret in particular, her focus on ophthalmology was a function of the contexts in which she and Paul found themselves, and of the needs of the people she served.
Margaret was a great woman, a wonderful foil for her husband, and an amazing blessing to all whom she knew.
There remains a special place in my heart for both Paul and Margaret, and I pray that they are now delightfully reunited before the One who is their shared Lord and Saviour.
Peter.
Peter Derrick
Executive Director
effect:hope
Over the years, my respect and affection for her grew ever deeper as I came to understand a little about the sacrifices that she and Paul had made in choosing to serve overseas among the very poor. I recall that for Margaret in particular, her focus on ophthalmology was a function of the contexts in which she and Paul found themselves, and of the needs of the people she served.
Margaret was a great woman, a wonderful foil for her husband, and an amazing blessing to all whom she knew.
There remains a special place in my heart for both Paul and Margaret, and I pray that they are now delightfully reunited before the One who is their shared Lord and Saviour.
Peter.
Peter Derrick
Executive Director
effect:hope
Message from Katie Horn Powell
January 6, 2015 1:45 PM
I met Paul at a professional conference in 1972 and determined that I wanted to work with him as a hand therapist when as I graduated from school. His demeanor and lectures were infectious and exhilirating. I went to Carville in 1974 where I met the Brand family and fell in love with them all. I became sick at Carville and had to move back to TX but I have followed Paul and Margaret thru their books and travels. I have spoken to groups about Hansen's disease and of my time at Carville with the Brands. When I send a gift, it is one of their stories; they were the most humble, electric people I have ever known: personally, professionally and spiritually; their walk with our Lord is the epitome of the way we should all be. They are my heroes in so many ways. I regret that I did not get to visit with them in Seattle but I did get to tell them in letters what they meant to me all of these years and how greatly I missed working with my "kindred spirits." The world and I will grieve their absence but I rejoice in their home going and I know our heavenly Father says to each of them, "well done, my good and faithful servants." My life was better, my soul deepened by having known Paul and Margaret. I bid you adeau, my fine friends and look forward to being reunited with you once more in eternity. Margaret, you grew more and more radiant and beautiful with each passing year. I pray this little note is a comfort to all you kids, no one was ever more loved by thousands of us around the world, than your Mother and Dad. Their story and radiance will ever continue in their books and writings. I love you guys. Katie Horn Powell
A candle was lit by Katie Powell, retired occupational therapist who worked with Paul at Carville
on January 6, 2015 1:27 PM
Message from Marcus Robbins
December 31, 2014 5:59 AM
Being part of our extended family, since a child, I had always heard about Paul and Margaret, their travels and amazing faith and works. Fearfully and Wonderfully Made is a favourite book. Both were such an inspiration! Thanks be to God.
A candle was lit by Marcus and Gilli Robbins
on December 31, 2014 5:43 AM
Message from Denny & Jenna Olson
December 24, 2014 3:50 PM
We may have never known this grey-haired couple unless they "retired" and moved to West Seattle and joined the fellowship at West Side Presbyterian Church. If ever there was an appropriate time to put a word in quotes I believe this must qualify. To us it seemed as though she and Paul really didn't retire but instead were just opening up a new chapter in their life of ministry and serving others. And we, along with so many other fortunate West Siders, were the beneficiaries of their kind heart, gentle spirit, remarkable leadership and gifted teaching. Margaret always would smile and genuinely say hello and ask us how we were doing. She took time to listen and made us feel as though we were someone special. We saw with our own eyes in Margaret's life what it means to be a humble servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. She lived out her faith with such joy, grace and radiance. We extend our sincere sympathy to the entire Brand family.
A candle was lit by dot beard
on December 24, 2014 1:52 PM
Message from Dot Beard
December 20, 2014 12:28 AM
What a wonderful friend. Always a smile and hello. My deepest sympathy to the whole family. God Bless You!
A candle was lit by Dot Beard
on December 20, 2014 12:25 AM
Message from Marilyn Schoeman Dow
December 15, 2014 8:33 AM
Oh, my, our dear Margaret brightened the lives of multitudes! A glorious and grateful throng of angels - and former earth fans - surely greeted her with wide-open arms and overflowing joy - led by her dearly-beloved Paul - an amazing pair of miracle-workers, reunited once more in heavenly dwellings. Blessings upon all her precious family - and the global legions in her vastly extended family. Such a brilliant bright light in the world, her radiant beam graces a new realm. Even in our deep missing of her physical presence, we celebrate her life, her endless blessing and our cherished memories.
Message from Marilyn Schoeman Dow
December 15, 2014 8:33 AM
Oh, my, our dear Margaret brightened the lives of multitudes! A glorious and grateful throng of angels - and former earth fans - surely greeted her with wide-open arms and overflowing joy - led by her dearly-beloved Paul - an amazing pair of miracle-workers, reunited once more in heavenly dwellings. Blessings upon all her precious family - and the global legions in her vastly extended family. Such a brilliant bright light in the world, her radiant beam graces a new realm. Even in our deep missing of her physical presence, we celebrate her life, her endless blessing and our cherished memories.
Message from The Williams Family
December 8, 2014 8:58 AM
May the family find comfort in loving memories, and in knowing that God is "close to those that are broken at heart; and he saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psalm 34:18) Our loving Creator, Jehovah God, has promised to soon "swallow up death forever...and wipe the tears from all faces." (Isaiah 25:8) With deepest sympathy.
A candle was lit by Alan (American Leprosy Mission Board) and Carroll Terwilleger, Roanoke, Virginia
on December 8, 2014 6:19 AM
A candle was lit by Glen & Ellin Brubaker
on December 7, 2014 5:28 PM
Message from Ebenezer Daniel, Gigi Jasmine Ebenezer, Amrita Susanna Daniel, Alexander Kamal Daniel
December 6, 2014 11:57 AM
I met Margaret Brand for the first time in the late summer of 1991 at the Schieffelin Leprosy Research and Training Center that is in a rural part of South India and where Margaret had earlier worked for several years. Hardly did I know that my career and life would change after that initial meeting. The news of her passing away on the 17th of November as I was getting ready to go to Carville to give a talk on ocular leprosy to residents in dermatology and nurses brought back so many memories that stayed with me through the flight and well into the Hansen’s Disease course and on the flight back to Baltimore. I cannot possibly write about all of the things that meant so much to me and my family but I owe it to her to share a few thoughts and some memories.
In August 1990 I was leaving my junior lecturer position at the Schell eye hospital in the Christian Medical College and I was not sure where I should be heading in my career in ophthalmology. Since my wife was in Chennai studying for her post-graduation degree in pathology the logical course of action seemed to be for me to head back there and find a job in one of the high end ophthalmology institutions. On the last day of my work at Schell, the then Principal of CMC, Dr. Bhooshnam Vasanthakumar, called me to his office and told me that an ophthalmologist was needed at SLRTC that had an Ophthalmology department but no Ophthalmologist for the past 5 months since no one was interested in taking up a job in a leprosy hospital. I did not know anything about ocular leprosy and nor did I have any particular interest in the subject but there was a curiosity in me to see the institution where my grand-uncle Dr. Charles K Job had worked in the past for several decades. So, I applied for the job, packed my bags and landed in SLRTC in late August 1990. There were a handful of leprosy patients admitted for chronic eye problems and a similar handful of patients who would trickle down to the out-patient clinic every day. It was far from being busy and the department was clothed in heavy languor. After the initial shock, it soon became apparent to me that for working in SLRTC, one would not only require skills that needed to make use of antique ophthalmology equipment but also would have to contend with an administration that was not particularly interested in research or training although this great institution, acclaimed to have been one of the best in leprosy in years past, was living on the laurels of a bygone era. In a couple of months I decided to wait for a year and then leave quietly for the ophthalmology institution in Chennai which while not being a non-profit institution that had a priority to serve the poor did have a busy and bustling teaching and research program combined with salaries and perks which were more than five-fold to what a specialist could possibly receive in SLRTC.
It was then this graceful, feisty lady with a gentle demeanor made her appearance at SLRTC to teach in an annual leprosy course that was open to all kinds of people interested in ocular leprosy. She did this for the next 10 of the 14 years I was there and each time she arrived to stay for a month or longer, a weird phenomenon would take place; the ophthalmology out-patient would become dense with people affected with leprosy from all over the place, the pace of work would pick up and there would be an almost desperate need by everyone in the department to work hard and then there was this uncanny and inexplicable sense of joy in doing the same mundane work that had gone on for the past 11 months.
I am still not sure where this host of leprosy patients hid themselves until Margaret made her appearance. It is true that some of them were her old patients but most were new and had never seen her. Somehow word spread among these patients without the aid of the electronic media we have now that this nice lady ophthalmologist was coming back to town again and the hordes would gather. There were many reasons why patients flocked to her; she gave them her time unselfishly – I have often pondered about this and concluded that God had given her this special ability because it cannot possibly be just a human trait handed down by her forefathers. How can a mother and a wife of a world renown orthopaedician with a busy household give so much of her time not only to leprosy patients coming to have their eye problems taken care of but also to everyone she meets on the way? In all my association with her, she has never sent anyone away without being heard or seen because she did not have the time. She was meticulous - in a busy clinic on a Monday morning any one of the hundred or so leprosy patients felt genuinely cared for by this lady who would examine them carefully and thoroughly and get their case histories written down in her nice handwriting. She was gracious and kind - she would call them by name, talk to them kindly in her broken Tamil, touch them without flinching (most were unquestionably ugly and foul smelling with their unwashed bodies and ulcers but she saw them as children created by God in His image) and would not let them go without uplifting their depressed spirits and giving them the best treatment any ocular leprologist could give in that time and age. The sacrifice (she never would have called it that but many would) was being accessible to everyone and having hardly any time for herself.
The ophthalmology department staff at SLRTC simply adored her. Living and working in a mission hospital is a tough job and one can get dispirited easily. Margaret lived through it and knew of the experiences first hand and so was able to listen and then give her advice (she again would not have called it that as she never gave “advice”) to the staff that was always, always tuned to uplifting their flagging spirits. Good work was always appreciated. Staff who had been slighted and wronged all year long felt good when she came. How she had the patience and the fortitude to listen to a multitude of sob stories, I will never know but I do know that her presence always made people to do their best without being told to do so even if past hurts rankled. I, along with my staff learned an important life lesson – to ignore the irritants life throws at us and to be always focused on the cause. This is not easy to do but it is the only way to live effectively.
She always told us to invest in people. That is again a hard thing to do but her investment in the countless number of people she came in contact with paid off handsomely. She loved people – even the obnoxious and rude. She would visit as many people as she could and I trailed along with her many a time to different countries and different cultures only to be bewildered by the extent of the ethic variation in people with whom she interacted with such ease and such openness. She was a family person. Once, the TLM administration had arranged for them to stay in suite in a five star hotel. Their indignation (Paul and Margaret’s) when they discovered this was not surprising to those of us who knew them well. They had their reservation cancelled and went and spent that week in a friend’s small house that had three children. I sometimes think that on the 17th of last month somewhere in heaven when shown to a huge palace that had been prepared for her, this grand old lady would have demurred and offered to have stayed with someone whose reward wasn’t a palace.
Margaret could be obstinate as a mule and I say this with all due respect. I remember my first trip to China with her where we were requested by the government of China to teach and train Chinese doctors in ocular leprosy. After the lectures and teaching sessions were over, it was time for me to demonstrate some simple oculoplastic surgeries that could save patients from going blind. The local leprosy hospital’s operating theater was not obviously being used even though the authorities insisted that leprosy patients who needed surgical treatment received them. They refused to open up the operating theater. Margaret felt that these surgical demonstrations were the most important part of our teaching and insisted that the theaters be made available for this purpose. She told the mayor of the city that she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Faxes and return faxes flew between this small town in South China to Beijing and finally the authorities had to give in and opened up the theater which probably had not seen any surgeries for more than a decade and we were able to demonstrate the surgeries to the Chinese doctors. I had never been to China and the whole time this was taking place I prayed as I had never prayed before asking God to stop the ruckus this little lady was causing in communist China because the visions of being hauled off to a Chinese prison was probably as real as can be. Margaret would show displeasure only if the care of her beloved leprosy patients was in any way thwarted.
She was a teacher par excellence. She taught me all that she knew in ocular leprosy and her experience in ocular leprosy could not be equaled by anyone else on the planet. She also taught countless other ophthalmologists, physicians, policy makers, administrators, nurses, paramedical workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and many other strata of the medical profession. People who knew no English, who were not academically commendable and who were illiterate were all part of her student kingdom. Everyone who was taught and received instruction from her left the place armed with some amount of skill to tackle ocular leprosy and an intense desire to do serve the poor and the needy. The amount of people whom she taught and encouraged to become teachers themselves cannot be easily counted – those whom these teachers influenced cannot be counted at all because they are so vast and exponential. There were days when she would land at the hospital after an 18 hour flight and be teaching straight off the bat. I don’t think God ever gave her what we know as jetlag.
I remember the breakfasts which we had together at the guest house where she would insist on sharing her ragi congee (poor man’s gruel) and her few pieces of papaya and then walk briskly to the Training center to start our teaching day. I was hard pressed to keep up with her (I must have been in my forties and she in her seventies) walking and her talking to the number of people who would be waiting for her on the way. She was an extremely humble person. When she did not know something she said so and often consulted me in current ophthalmic techniques. For a person with such great knowledge and firsthand experience of ocular leprosy she was never condescending in her teaching approach. She welcomed new ideas and always gave credit to the owner of such new ideas. Her passion was to develop leaders of excellence in leprosy. I was a complete introvert when I met her and she helped me overcome my stage fear. Although she never did any formal research even though she was undoubtedly the foremost knowledge on ocular leprosy, she encouraged me to no end to do ocular leprosy research and to publish. I was able to publish more than 50 peer reviewed papers on ocular leprosy because of the encouragement I received from her. She bequeathed her precious eye slides to the ophthalmology department at SLRTC and these were put to good use. Recently I authored a chapter in a book on leprosy and used some of the images that she passed on to me. I was nothing but she turned my life into something useful. For that I will always be grateful.
She was not a saint nor claimed to be one although her faith in Jesus Christ was her life. She would have been very upset if someone called her that although I suppose she would have accepted all praise and criticism with her usual charm and grace. She was just fun to be with - her witticism cannot be excelled and if she began one of her funny stories, one needed to strap the ribs together for the laughter these brought out will surely break them. Her after dinner stories of an application sent for a government post was a favorite. When she came to our home our children loved to sit around her and hear her stories. They were held spellbound by them. Paul and Margaret’s stories were the ones that my children grew up on and sometimes I wonder if that is the reason why my daughter is so obstinate in doing orthopedics and persists on writing the entrance exams for the orthopedic PG exams although thrice she has been unsuccessful. I do know that her refusal to accept a research job at Hopkins and to go back to India to work in a mission hospital is partly due to the lives of Margaret and Paul. Amrita was presented with a set of Narnia books by CS Lewis when she was in 7th grade and would have read them over and over again. They are a tattered lot but the top among her most precious possessions. I also remember how Margaret found out about my birthday from my wife and opened up her bag in the middle of a busy airport on our way to a training meeting in a faraway place in North India, brought out a small but crumpled up cake and sang a birthday song to my surprise and astonishment (and the crowd around). She was a dear, dear person who influenced my life and my family’s and my department and there will always be a special place in my heart for her. Please do convey our condolences to each of her children and thank them for their mother.
Ebenezer Daniel
Gigi Jasmine Ebenezer
Amrita Susanna Daniel
Alexander Kamal Daniel
12/06/2014
In August 1990 I was leaving my junior lecturer position at the Schell eye hospital in the Christian Medical College and I was not sure where I should be heading in my career in ophthalmology. Since my wife was in Chennai studying for her post-graduation degree in pathology the logical course of action seemed to be for me to head back there and find a job in one of the high end ophthalmology institutions. On the last day of my work at Schell, the then Principal of CMC, Dr. Bhooshnam Vasanthakumar, called me to his office and told me that an ophthalmologist was needed at SLRTC that had an Ophthalmology department but no Ophthalmologist for the past 5 months since no one was interested in taking up a job in a leprosy hospital. I did not know anything about ocular leprosy and nor did I have any particular interest in the subject but there was a curiosity in me to see the institution where my grand-uncle Dr. Charles K Job had worked in the past for several decades. So, I applied for the job, packed my bags and landed in SLRTC in late August 1990. There were a handful of leprosy patients admitted for chronic eye problems and a similar handful of patients who would trickle down to the out-patient clinic every day. It was far from being busy and the department was clothed in heavy languor. After the initial shock, it soon became apparent to me that for working in SLRTC, one would not only require skills that needed to make use of antique ophthalmology equipment but also would have to contend with an administration that was not particularly interested in research or training although this great institution, acclaimed to have been one of the best in leprosy in years past, was living on the laurels of a bygone era. In a couple of months I decided to wait for a year and then leave quietly for the ophthalmology institution in Chennai which while not being a non-profit institution that had a priority to serve the poor did have a busy and bustling teaching and research program combined with salaries and perks which were more than five-fold to what a specialist could possibly receive in SLRTC.
It was then this graceful, feisty lady with a gentle demeanor made her appearance at SLRTC to teach in an annual leprosy course that was open to all kinds of people interested in ocular leprosy. She did this for the next 10 of the 14 years I was there and each time she arrived to stay for a month or longer, a weird phenomenon would take place; the ophthalmology out-patient would become dense with people affected with leprosy from all over the place, the pace of work would pick up and there would be an almost desperate need by everyone in the department to work hard and then there was this uncanny and inexplicable sense of joy in doing the same mundane work that had gone on for the past 11 months.
I am still not sure where this host of leprosy patients hid themselves until Margaret made her appearance. It is true that some of them were her old patients but most were new and had never seen her. Somehow word spread among these patients without the aid of the electronic media we have now that this nice lady ophthalmologist was coming back to town again and the hordes would gather. There were many reasons why patients flocked to her; she gave them her time unselfishly – I have often pondered about this and concluded that God had given her this special ability because it cannot possibly be just a human trait handed down by her forefathers. How can a mother and a wife of a world renown orthopaedician with a busy household give so much of her time not only to leprosy patients coming to have their eye problems taken care of but also to everyone she meets on the way? In all my association with her, she has never sent anyone away without being heard or seen because she did not have the time. She was meticulous - in a busy clinic on a Monday morning any one of the hundred or so leprosy patients felt genuinely cared for by this lady who would examine them carefully and thoroughly and get their case histories written down in her nice handwriting. She was gracious and kind - she would call them by name, talk to them kindly in her broken Tamil, touch them without flinching (most were unquestionably ugly and foul smelling with their unwashed bodies and ulcers but she saw them as children created by God in His image) and would not let them go without uplifting their depressed spirits and giving them the best treatment any ocular leprologist could give in that time and age. The sacrifice (she never would have called it that but many would) was being accessible to everyone and having hardly any time for herself.
The ophthalmology department staff at SLRTC simply adored her. Living and working in a mission hospital is a tough job and one can get dispirited easily. Margaret lived through it and knew of the experiences first hand and so was able to listen and then give her advice (she again would not have called it that as she never gave “advice”) to the staff that was always, always tuned to uplifting their flagging spirits. Good work was always appreciated. Staff who had been slighted and wronged all year long felt good when she came. How she had the patience and the fortitude to listen to a multitude of sob stories, I will never know but I do know that her presence always made people to do their best without being told to do so even if past hurts rankled. I, along with my staff learned an important life lesson – to ignore the irritants life throws at us and to be always focused on the cause. This is not easy to do but it is the only way to live effectively.
She always told us to invest in people. That is again a hard thing to do but her investment in the countless number of people she came in contact with paid off handsomely. She loved people – even the obnoxious and rude. She would visit as many people as she could and I trailed along with her many a time to different countries and different cultures only to be bewildered by the extent of the ethic variation in people with whom she interacted with such ease and such openness. She was a family person. Once, the TLM administration had arranged for them to stay in suite in a five star hotel. Their indignation (Paul and Margaret’s) when they discovered this was not surprising to those of us who knew them well. They had their reservation cancelled and went and spent that week in a friend’s small house that had three children. I sometimes think that on the 17th of last month somewhere in heaven when shown to a huge palace that had been prepared for her, this grand old lady would have demurred and offered to have stayed with someone whose reward wasn’t a palace.
Margaret could be obstinate as a mule and I say this with all due respect. I remember my first trip to China with her where we were requested by the government of China to teach and train Chinese doctors in ocular leprosy. After the lectures and teaching sessions were over, it was time for me to demonstrate some simple oculoplastic surgeries that could save patients from going blind. The local leprosy hospital’s operating theater was not obviously being used even though the authorities insisted that leprosy patients who needed surgical treatment received them. They refused to open up the operating theater. Margaret felt that these surgical demonstrations were the most important part of our teaching and insisted that the theaters be made available for this purpose. She told the mayor of the city that she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Faxes and return faxes flew between this small town in South China to Beijing and finally the authorities had to give in and opened up the theater which probably had not seen any surgeries for more than a decade and we were able to demonstrate the surgeries to the Chinese doctors. I had never been to China and the whole time this was taking place I prayed as I had never prayed before asking God to stop the ruckus this little lady was causing in communist China because the visions of being hauled off to a Chinese prison was probably as real as can be. Margaret would show displeasure only if the care of her beloved leprosy patients was in any way thwarted.
She was a teacher par excellence. She taught me all that she knew in ocular leprosy and her experience in ocular leprosy could not be equaled by anyone else on the planet. She also taught countless other ophthalmologists, physicians, policy makers, administrators, nurses, paramedical workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and many other strata of the medical profession. People who knew no English, who were not academically commendable and who were illiterate were all part of her student kingdom. Everyone who was taught and received instruction from her left the place armed with some amount of skill to tackle ocular leprosy and an intense desire to do serve the poor and the needy. The amount of people whom she taught and encouraged to become teachers themselves cannot be easily counted – those whom these teachers influenced cannot be counted at all because they are so vast and exponential. There were days when she would land at the hospital after an 18 hour flight and be teaching straight off the bat. I don’t think God ever gave her what we know as jetlag.
I remember the breakfasts which we had together at the guest house where she would insist on sharing her ragi congee (poor man’s gruel) and her few pieces of papaya and then walk briskly to the Training center to start our teaching day. I was hard pressed to keep up with her (I must have been in my forties and she in her seventies) walking and her talking to the number of people who would be waiting for her on the way. She was an extremely humble person. When she did not know something she said so and often consulted me in current ophthalmic techniques. For a person with such great knowledge and firsthand experience of ocular leprosy she was never condescending in her teaching approach. She welcomed new ideas and always gave credit to the owner of such new ideas. Her passion was to develop leaders of excellence in leprosy. I was a complete introvert when I met her and she helped me overcome my stage fear. Although she never did any formal research even though she was undoubtedly the foremost knowledge on ocular leprosy, she encouraged me to no end to do ocular leprosy research and to publish. I was able to publish more than 50 peer reviewed papers on ocular leprosy because of the encouragement I received from her. She bequeathed her precious eye slides to the ophthalmology department at SLRTC and these were put to good use. Recently I authored a chapter in a book on leprosy and used some of the images that she passed on to me. I was nothing but she turned my life into something useful. For that I will always be grateful.
She was not a saint nor claimed to be one although her faith in Jesus Christ was her life. She would have been very upset if someone called her that although I suppose she would have accepted all praise and criticism with her usual charm and grace. She was just fun to be with - her witticism cannot be excelled and if she began one of her funny stories, one needed to strap the ribs together for the laughter these brought out will surely break them. Her after dinner stories of an application sent for a government post was a favorite. When she came to our home our children loved to sit around her and hear her stories. They were held spellbound by them. Paul and Margaret’s stories were the ones that my children grew up on and sometimes I wonder if that is the reason why my daughter is so obstinate in doing orthopedics and persists on writing the entrance exams for the orthopedic PG exams although thrice she has been unsuccessful. I do know that her refusal to accept a research job at Hopkins and to go back to India to work in a mission hospital is partly due to the lives of Margaret and Paul. Amrita was presented with a set of Narnia books by CS Lewis when she was in 7th grade and would have read them over and over again. They are a tattered lot but the top among her most precious possessions. I also remember how Margaret found out about my birthday from my wife and opened up her bag in the middle of a busy airport on our way to a training meeting in a faraway place in North India, brought out a small but crumpled up cake and sang a birthday song to my surprise and astonishment (and the crowd around). She was a dear, dear person who influenced my life and my family’s and my department and there will always be a special place in my heart for her. Please do convey our condolences to each of her children and thank them for their mother.
Ebenezer Daniel
Gigi Jasmine Ebenezer
Amrita Susanna Daniel
Alexander Kamal Daniel
12/06/2014
A candle was lit by Emily Bailley, Clinton, SC -
on December 6, 2014 7:57 AM
A candle was lit by Ebenezer Daniel, Gigi Ebenezer, Amrita Susanna Daniel, Alexander Kamal Daniel
on December 6, 2014 7:55 AM
Message from Dave & Diana Blackmer
December 3, 2014 1:04 AM
Both Dr. Paul and Dr. Margaret Brand were amazing, humble servants of the Lord. What a treasure we will have in heaven with those faithful believers like the Brands that have gone before us into heaven. We thank the Lord for them both and their support of World Concern (CRISTA) through the years.
Message from peggy ferber
November 28, 2014 1:49 PM
Few people have meant so much to so many as Paul and Margaret.
Message from Joan Hartzell
November 25, 2014 12:34 PM
Margaret was my Hero and although I never met her in India I knew her. My husband and I had a pottery factory in Punganur, A.P. just a few hours from Vellore and when I needed cataract surgery I went to Schell Eye Hospital which she had started years before. I am now retired and living in Bothell, WA. and I finally had the opportunity to meet her at Covenant Shores earlier this year. I was so blessed to finally meet her face to face and we shared about India which we both loved, As I was taking leave of her she said,"Thank you for bringing India to me". I was overwhelmed and I was so grateful for this touch--it was truly a God thing!
A candle was lit by Joan Hartzell, former missionary to India
on November 25, 2014 12:21 PM
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