The Tribune

By FELICITY INGRAHAM

Two month-old Antonique Munroe is headed to Florida today with her mother and grandmother to visit the Bascom Palmer eye hospital for much-needed treatment.

In last week Tuesday’s Face to Face with Felicity column, Antonique’s parents made a heartfelt plea for assistance for their daughter to receive medical treatment from eye experts to give her the best chance possible of sight.

Her parents, Antoine and Abbie Munroe are both totally blind. Their daughter was born with an under-developed left eye, and her right eye has cornea issues and retina detachment. After being seen by eye doctors in the country, little Antonique was referred to the Bascom Palmer eye institute. There, she saw a cornea and a retina specialist who gave the Munroes hope that they would do their best to make it possible for their daughter to have sight. They did warn, however, that immediate treatment was necessary for the best possible chance.

An anonymous benefactor read the column in The Tribune and contacted the Antoine with the good news that they were willing to help with the procedures that Antonique would need. Hence, she is off to Florida today with her mother Abbie and Antoine’s mother.

This Wednesday, Antonique will receive anaesthetics to put her to sleep while eye experts conduct an exploratory procedure to look in the back of here eyes in order to find out what all needs to be done to help her.

The anonymous donor is covering Antonique’s expenses at Bascom Palmer. Bahamasair came through for the Munroe family by providing plane tickets for two adults to travel along with Antonique. A few other people have contacted the Munroes to offer donations, including one person who said they were “moved by the Munroe’s story” they read in The Tribune.

Antoine noted the family still bore costs for hotel accommodation and transportation expenses, but was most grateful and “overjoyed” that the anonymous donor decided had stepped forward to help his daughter.

He said if the surgeries that follow the first exploratory procedure are successful, his daughter would be able to see, and would be the only one in his new family to be able to do so - an important factor in the quality of life for his daughter.

Despite the “noise in the market” concerning two blind people deciding to marry, Antoine said he decided to follow his heart and marry the woman he loves. Today, he and his wife are working hard not only to provide for themselves, but to give their daughter the best possible chance at life.