Blinded student returns to UBC for treatment
Hope remains that Rumana Monzur's eyesight can be partially restored
CBC News
Posted: Jul 5, 2011 5:16 AM PT
Last Updated: Jul 6, 2011 4:59 AM PT
Related
Related Links
External Links
(Note:CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)
A University of British Columbia student who was brutally attacked during a trip home in Bangladesh is back in Canada, and says she hasn't given up hope she'll be able to see again.
Rumana Monzur's eyes were gouged and her face disfigured in an assault that Indian doctors said may have left her permanently blind.
The 33-year-old master's student arrived back in Vancouver Tuesday with her father.
Monzur's next stop is a local hospital where she will be assessed by ophthalmology specialists.
Monzur, speaking softly through tears, said she still has hope doctors in Canada will be able to treat her eyes and she may one day see again.
"My eyes are not in a good situation and the only hope that UBC doctors will treat me, so that's the hope and for that I want your prayers," she said.
She said she still plans to finish her master's degree and wants to eventually complete a PhD.
Monzur's husband, Hasan Sayeed Sumon, is in jail in Bangladesh facing charges of attempted murder in connection with the attack on her June 5.
Monzur told a news conference last week that her five-year-old daughter witnessed the assault.
$35,000 raised for treatment
De Ruiter said rallying in recent weeks by Monzur's Vancouver friends and colleagues is paying off. Students and staff at UBC have already raised $35,000 to pay for her treatment and help support her family for the next six months.
The university is involved in an international medical relief effort to help her regain at least some of her vision, deRuiter said.
"UBC is doing everything and it's scheduling medical treatment for her eyes to try to see if they can restore her eyesight in one of her eyes," de Ruiter said. "So that was one of the reasons she's coming back already to Vancouver."
Doctors in Bangladesh said one eye is permanently damaged. The other is not responding to light, but there's hope it can be partially repaired.
“I want to thank all those who have responded so generously,” said UBC President Stephen Toope. “I know Canadians will continue to respond and help provide the support Ms. Monzur and her family need.”
Toope said the school hopes to raise a total of $70,000 to support Monzur and her family during her treatment.
With files from The Canadian Press and the CBC's Meera BainsShare Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- Police are looking for a light-coloured Chrysler with damage to the driver's front side after a pedestrian was hit in Surrey, B.C., early Sunday morning. more »
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- A Vancouver man who climbed the world's highest mountain is back home and talking about the adventure. more »
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- A sushi restaurant in Fort Langley, B.C., was damaged in a fire early Sunday morning. more »
Top News Headlines
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
- B.C. NDP calls for unity in fighting coast guard closure
- Surrey RCMP seek hit-run driver
- B.C. man who scaled Everest returns home
- Fort Langley restaurant damaged in fire
- Passengers' families sue for fatal B.C. plane crash
- B.C. Coast Guard Auxiliary gets new name
- Tsunami motorcycle heading to Harley museum
- Psych ward escapes worry neighbours
- Gang forum honours Surrey 6 victim
