Episode 10: Facing Stigma and Chronic Illness: Interview with Jose and Magdalena

On today’s episode Kristin and Tiffany are excited to chat with José Ramirez, Jr. and Magdalena Jr. on Hansen's Disease and the impact of facing the stigmatizing nature of disease and chronic illness. Jose and Magdalena are husband and wife but also both social workers who have dedicated their lives to the social work profession and advocating for the chronically ill. We could not think of anyone better to interview in honor of International Social Work Day!

José Ramirez, Jr. is a LCSW who also worked as a consultant on stigma to the World Health Organization and Nippon Foundation. He is also a consultant on skin conditions to the Cochrane Skin Group Review and Faculty at the University of Texas - Houston Lone Star LEND Program. He has published over 50 articles, made over 100 presentations in 18 different countries and has been featured in media throughout the world. Jose was presented with the "Fighting Spirit Award" by the United Nations, among many other awards throughout his career.

Jose had been sick for years before a Mexican healer told him he had "a disease of the Bible." He was 20 when he was diagnosed with leprosy, known as Hansen's disease, in 1968.

The illness uprooted Ramirez from his large family, his high-school sweetheart, Magdalena, and his home in Laredo, Texas. State officials ordered him to seek treatment at the U.S. Public Health Hospital in Carville, La. — the only leprosarium in the continental United States where he traveled there by hearse.

Magdalena Ramirez has served as a medical social worker throughout her entire career with 38 years working for the Veterans Administration. She was 2001 Texas Social Worker of the Year through NASW Texas and was a keynote speaker in 2002 at an international conference focusing on women affected by Hansen's Disease.

Additional Links:

https://leprosy.org/

A Day at Carville: My Home—Mi Casa

https://leprosytoday.org/narratives/jose-ramirez-jr/history.html

Jose's NPR Interview

https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/squint-my-journey-with-leprosy/

https://zeroleprosy.org/jose-ramirez/

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/01/science/leprosy-still-claiming-victims.html

Purchase Jose's Book "Squint: My Journey with Leprosy"

PBS: Triumph at Carville

José Was Sent Away, Banished To An Institution

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