Earlier this month, you were teased with a picture of Jonathan, a very sweet boy who we had the pleasure of interviewing.  Let me tell you about him and his family.

We first met Jonathan in 2011.  He was bright-eyed and incredibly extroverted.  Like many his age, he demanded we give him our attention, play with him, and hold him, which we were more than happy to do.

In many ways, making sure Jonathan has the support he needs to grow up healthy is the same as it is for all of our patients.  He needs regular well-checks, dental care, access to education, and support for his parents to help him develop. Because he has Down syndrome, however, he and his parents need some additional resources to make sure he can reach his dreams.  These resources exist, but they are difficult to access and the system is hard to navigate.

Floating Doctors has been working with Jonathan’s mother, Selina, since we first met them to ensure Jonathan has all the support he needs to grow healthy, strong, and fulfilled.

Now a 9 year-old second grader, Jonathan has grown so much.  Like other kids his age, he’s developed strong likes- soccer- and dislikes- loud noises, and he likes art. He’s got big dreams, and we will do everything we can to help him achieve them.

Floating Doctors makes sure families like Jonathan’s have a chaperone to help them go through the systems necessary to obtain the support they need.  We assist with access to occupational and physical therapy, provide regular eye and heart checks, and educational assistance.

We work alongside Selina to make sure Jonathan- and his 9 brothers and sisters- have access to the care they need.  We make sure to see Jonathan every time we visit his community, to check on his development, assist with the paperwork Selina needs for specialist care, make sure he can get to his specialists for therapy, and spend time with this wonderful, playful boy. Down the line, we are looking at ways to help ensure some independence, such as adding a bathroom to the house (they currently don’t have one.)

We could not provide high-quality, ongoing, and complete care without your support. You are such an important part of the Floating Doctors community. With your support, we look forward to being there for every step of Jonathan’s development!