In the couple of years prior to being struck down with M.E and fibromyalgia, I had the good fortune to travel to Panama to meet my stepmother Irene, and I fell in love with the country, returning a couple of times.
I love the bustle of the City, the Canal and its history and the flamboyancy of the people, but most of all I fell in love with a little town called Boquete. Here I met the most generous and beautiful people I've ever had the privilege to meet. Many families managing with children with severe disabilities were still living a humble life in shacks, washing in the stream and using lamplight to see at night. Nobody complained though. Nobody. I never heard the kids utter a word of envy or jealousy when I spent time there with my little blond haired son who must have looked as if he came from a land beyond to many of the children. The children were well mannered, carried your bags and were always welcoming, as were their parents.
Irene (pictured in the first picture below, alongside a couple of the other children I met) had worked as a trustee, volunteer and fundraiser at the Foundation for Children with Disabilities in Boquete, Panama, since it opened (https://www.facebook.com/FundacionProIntegracionCapituloDeBoquete), until she died on 11.07.15, leaving a huge gap in the hearts of all the children and families she loved so much. Her trust, The Irene Annie Haines Foundation, continues to honour her work and I intend to ensure that I do everything in my power to continue her work too, as her stepdaughter.
Panama is in my heart. After becoming ill I wasn't able to travel back, even when my stepmum was in hospital or for her funeral. I will go back now I am on my feet again though. I will travel back to meet again the people I keep in touch with there. It is an incredible country. I don't know what I will do there yet. That is the joy of growing my own soul ... it keeps growing.
The future, because I am becoming more well, seems to be stretching out rather than decreasing. I couldn't walk and was in a wheelchair two years ago but now I'm planning trips to Panama, Mexico and Uganda! Life twists and turns. It is forever changing. You never know what is round the next corner so keep your eyes open wide and take in all the possibilities. Don't limit yourself. The more you believe you can accomplish, the more you will.
I love the bustle of the City, the Canal and its history and the flamboyancy of the people, but most of all I fell in love with a little town called Boquete. Here I met the most generous and beautiful people I've ever had the privilege to meet. Many families managing with children with severe disabilities were still living a humble life in shacks, washing in the stream and using lamplight to see at night. Nobody complained though. Nobody. I never heard the kids utter a word of envy or jealousy when I spent time there with my little blond haired son who must have looked as if he came from a land beyond to many of the children. The children were well mannered, carried your bags and were always welcoming, as were their parents.
Irene (pictured in the first picture below, alongside a couple of the other children I met) had worked as a trustee, volunteer and fundraiser at the Foundation for Children with Disabilities in Boquete, Panama, since it opened (https://www.facebook.com/FundacionProIntegracionCapituloDeBoquete), until she died on 11.07.15, leaving a huge gap in the hearts of all the children and families she loved so much. Her trust, The Irene Annie Haines Foundation, continues to honour her work and I intend to ensure that I do everything in my power to continue her work too, as her stepdaughter.
Panama is in my heart. After becoming ill I wasn't able to travel back, even when my stepmum was in hospital or for her funeral. I will go back now I am on my feet again though. I will travel back to meet again the people I keep in touch with there. It is an incredible country. I don't know what I will do there yet. That is the joy of growing my own soul ... it keeps growing.
The future, because I am becoming more well, seems to be stretching out rather than decreasing. I couldn't walk and was in a wheelchair two years ago but now I'm planning trips to Panama, Mexico and Uganda! Life twists and turns. It is forever changing. You never know what is round the next corner so keep your eyes open wide and take in all the possibilities. Don't limit yourself. The more you believe you can accomplish, the more you will.
