Months after the violent attacks in Panama, a Gatineau couple is focused on recovery
After being attacked in Panama at the end of October while traveling, a couple from Gatineau, Que., is now taking time to recover from the physical and mental trauma.
“I think it’s good to be with friends, family, but at the same time, my heart is there. It’s somewhere else,” said Geneviève Plouffe, who returned home last month with her partner Martin Audette.
They were in the middle of a multi-year road trip through South and Central America.
“The plan was not coming [home]. The plan was to just go and live life. But I don’t know how I feel.”
Plouffe and Audette were inside their parked bus, which they had converted into a mobile home, near the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal on Oct. 28 when the attackers opened fire and forced their way into the car.
The men dragged Audette outside and beat her with a hammer and the butt of a gun, Plouffe said.
Others entered the bus and demanded money, threatening Plouffe’s life.
Geneviève Plouffe says she and her husband Martin Audette were inside their bus that stopped on Oct. 28 when a group of armed attackers shot at the car and forced their way in.
“I still have aches, like my sternum hurts and my ribs. I have scars on the back of my head,” Audette said.
“The recovery process was what it was. It’s like, I just got hit — like, I got hit really bad.”
The couple said they know mental recovery will be a long process. Since the attack, they have been suffering from flashbacks and anxiety.
“You feel anger, you feel sadness, you feel a lot of emotions … happiness, pain and sadness about what happened,” Audette said.
“But it’s part of life. We all know that life is not always pleasant, it has different chapters and different obstacles that you have to go through. They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
The path to justice
Besides insurance, the couple says they received $40,000 to $50,000 in hospital and legal fees.
In a written response, Global Affairs Canada confirmed that it is aware of the incident involving the Canadians but declined to comment due to confidentiality issues. Canadian embassy officials in Panama are in contact with local authorities and are providing assistance.
On the advice of the Canadian embassy in Panama, the couple hired a lawyer in the hope that their case would be heard.
Radio-Canada reached out to Panamanian police authorities but did not receive a response by press time.
Plouffe said that a few weeks ago, two suspects were identified by the police. The couple said updates from local authorities are rare.
Audette hopes that the attackers, as well as the owner of the place where they parked, will be held accountable by the justice system in Panama.
“Before we left Panama, we hired this lawyer … and the last thing I said to him before we left was, somebody has to pay, and it’s not going to be me.”
Plans to return to El Salvador
The couple sought help from a psychiatrist in El Salvador, who specializes in post-traumatic stress disorder, before returning to Canada.
“To be [a] getting a mental appointment in Quebec is very difficult. So in El Salvador, it was very fast, very easy,” Plouffe said.
The couple said they found comfort in the support of family and friends.
“Van-lifers are a crazy, amazing community. They’re so kind, and they give us so much help,” Plouffe said. “We are very happy to be a part of that beautiful family.”
They plan to stay in Canada for a few weeks before returning to El Salvador, mainly to receive medical, psychological, and psychological help. Warm weather is also contributing, Plouffe said.
The couple also plans to return to Panama one day to pick up the bus, which is in dire need of repairs.
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