Dan and Babs Izzett - TLM Heroes

A former preacher, Dan and his wife Babs grew up and worked in Zimbabwe – only recently retiring to England to be near their grown-up children. They have dedicated much of their shared life to changing perceptions of leprosy around the world.

Dan contracted the disease as a child, but was misdiagnosed for many many years. He was married to Babs, and the couple had children of their own, by the time he could get appropriate help. Babs later contracted the disease as well, and though it was caught much earlier, she dealt with her own pain whilst supporting her husband to cope with his disabilities as they raised their two sons together.

The stigma associated with the disease was so intense that it took Dan and Babs 28 years to share their story. But since then, it’s been their life’s mission to shine a spotlight on the experiences of other people affected by the disease. In 2017 Dan told Charity Magazine: “We just have to do what we can to bring about a change for people affected by leprosy. We want them to go free and not live in fear like we did for years.”.