↑↑ 양선이 버클리영어학원장
ⓒ 익산신문

 The old couple Kim, 85 years old, and Shon, 79 years old from Sam San clinic first began helping Hansen in 1986. It has been 28 long years serving Hansen’s patients living the life of altruism in Wang Goog.

 Kim and Shon’s dedication and service to the leprosy community will be honored at the auditorium of Asan Research center in Seoul Asan hospital. The couple started working at the Hanil Christian clinic established by Iksan welfare center in 1986. Kim spent most his time at the clinic working and Shon took care of people at the nursing home helping 60 patients a day.

 Kim started to help people with Hansen’s disease, also known as leprosy, after he witnessed them being rejected by society. He wanted to help patients who suffered from social prejudice.

In 2007, Kim decided to stop offering his services because of his deteriorating health conditions and age.

 The welfare center looked for doctors who could replace Kim but the search wasn’t successful so they had to shut down the clinic for 2 years.

He came back in 2009 and established current clinic, Sam San clinic, and they are up and running since then.

 Kim’s wife Shon is suffering from arthritis so she can’t take care of all the patients by herself. Despite his old age, Kim is working from 9 to 4 Monday through Friday still taking care of 50 patients a day.

 In addition, they could build a public bath place equipped with solar panels for leprosy patients with the help of various volunteering groups and installed energy efficient boilers with the money they were awarded from the Korea Electric Power Corp.

 “I mostly worked with Hansen’s patients but I have more regular patients now. I have patients from all over the place including Iksan, Yeosu, Jaechon, Wonju, and Seoul. I don’t know why they would come all the way to visit my clinic,” he said smiling. “We were pretty well off before we came to Wang Goong but I just thought that way of life wasn’t for me. I am very grateful for my wife who supported my decision to come here and spend the rest of my life,” Kim added.

 “My wife is too weak to work with me here but I want to take care of them as long as I live.”

They married in 1958. Since then, they are there for each other. Their door is always open to those who are in need.

/1면 왕궁 삼산의원 김신기 ·손신실 부부

^{Words: Hansen disease (leprosy) 나병, 한센병 dedication 헌신 honor 명예로운 auditorium 강당 witness 목격하다 reject 거부하다 suffer 고통을 겪다 prejudice 편견 deteriorating 점점 나빠지는 welfare 복지 establish 설립하다 arthritis 류마티스 관절염 install 설치하다 the Korea Electric Power Corp 한국 전력공사}