Got TIPS or BREAKING NEWS? Please call 1-284-442-8000 direct/can also WhatsApp same number or Email ALL news to:newsvino@outlook.com;                               ads call 1-284-440-6666

Oil Nut Bay gives $5K to assist wheelchair bound female to walk again

- Rayah N.B. Fonseca to undergo 6-month rehabilitative therapy in Florida
Deputy Premier and At Large Representative Hon Lorna G. Smith, OBE, left, presented the cheque of $5000 on behalf of Oil Nut Bay to Rayah N.B. Fonseca and Raymond B. Fonseca. Photo: Facebook
Raymond B. Fonseca, right, continues to believe that his daugher Rayah, left, will one day be able to walk again. Photo: Provided
Raymond B. Fonseca, right, continues to believe that his daugher Rayah, left, will one day be able to walk again. Photo: Provided
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- It was some 23 years ago that Rayah N.B. Fonseca was struck by a car at Brandy Wine Bay on Tortola. She was five years old then and has been wheelchair-bound since.

Never giving up on his daughter, Raymond B. Fonseca aka ‘Chi Chi’ has been at her aid since then and continues to believe that one day Rayah will be able to walk again, even if by assistance.

On Wednesday, December 11, 2024, that belief started to become a reality when Oil Nut Bay donated a cheque of $5000.00 to Mr Fonseca to facilitate Rayah getting rehabilitative therapy at a medical centre in Fort Lauderdale.

A ‘joy’ to hand over cheque- Hon Smith

According to Mr Fonseca, he had approached former Deputy Premier and At Large Representative Hon Lorna G. Smith, OBE for assistance and she reached out to Oil Nut Bay on his behalf.

Hon Smith presented the cheque from Oil Nut Bay to Mr Fonseca and Rayah at Queen Elizabeth II Park.

“Such a joy to hand over a cheque of $5000 today from Oil Nut Bay, to Raya Fonseca, to assist her on her journey to restoration of her ability to walk. We are filled with hope for her. She’s traveling to a Centre in Fort Lauderdale for this. Chi Chi is the best Dad ( blushes every time he hears this ). So grateful to Clyde Lettsome in particular, who made it all happen. ‘Ask and ye shall receive!’ Also spirit of ‘giving back’ is alive and well,” Hon Smith wrote on social media.

Cheque ‘means the world to us’- Raymond B. Fonseca

Commenting on the kind assistance of Oil Nut Bay and Hon Smith, Mr Fonseca told Virgin Islands News Online the gesture “means the world” to him and Rayah.

He said Rayah will be undergoing 6-months of rehabilitation in Florida and that he “believes in miracles”.

Mr Fonseca admitted that more funds would still be needed over the course of the 6 months, but he is grateful that his daughter will begin the process of rehabilitation.

Anyone wishing to assist Rayah with her rehabilitation expenses can contact Mr Fonseca on 441-1435.

10 Responses to “Oil Nut Bay gives $5K to assist wheelchair bound female to walk again”



Create a comment


Submit comment

Create a comment

Submit comment
Disclaimer: Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) welcomes your thoughts, feedback, views, bloggs and opinions. However, by posting a blogg you are agreeing to post comments or bloggs that are relevant to the topic, and that are not defamatory, liable, obscene, racist, abusive, sexist, anti-Semitic, threatening, hateful or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be excluded permanently from making contributions. Please view our declaimer above this article. We thank you in advance for complying with VINO's policy.

Follow Us On

Disclaimer: All comments posted on Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) are the sole views and opinions of the commentators and or bloggers and do not in anyway represent the views and opinions of the Board of Directors, Management and Staff of Virgin Islands News Online and its parent company.