Early September mornings found us running through the streets of Bocas, trying to get a workout in before the heat of the day was upon us.  Volunteering with Floating Doctors for a month, we got to see a different side of Bocas in those early mornings.  We watched the firemen cleaning off their truck and preparing for the day ahead, fishermen setting off in hopes of the day’s big catch, fruit vendors arranging and rearranging their displays, and children walking and chatting on their way to school.  We caught a glimpse of real life in Bocas as we ran through the town and we fell in love with this place and the people of Panama.

We had some extraordinary experiences throughout our time with Floating Doctors.  We travelled to several different communities providing medical care in the most basic of settings.  The fancy equipment and comfortable environment we were used to at home were absent, but what may

have been lacking was filled with people like the young man who brought us fruit he picked to thank us or the elderly gentleman who spent his afternoon showing us his garden and cocoa plants.  A highlight was a jungle expedition to find a remote community in need of medical care.  We packed backpacks full of medications and set up a two day clinic where many had not seen a doctor in years.

As people and experiences carved out places in our hearts, we couldn’t help but think about their health and care in the future.  We were familiar with organizations who would blast through towns with mass clinics, identifying illnesses, but with no intention of returning.  We were delighted to find out that Floating Doctors is committed to the communities they serve and would return to bring a wheelchair to the housebound man with Polio, to check up on the young child with pneumonia, and to monitor the progress of pregnancy of a first time mother.  We left knowing that those we saw from our early morning runs in Bocas to those we treated in the jungle villages would continue to be cared for in the long run.