Special connection
Islanders repaying tight bond with Bahamian woman who studied and worked in P.E.I.
Hurricane Dorian left a devastating mark on the Bahamas, while Bahamanian Gina Raymonville left a compelling one on Islanders.
The outcome of the unique convergence is a touching show of support.
Raymonville came to P.E.I. from the Bahamas in 2016 to pursue her post-secondary education. She went on to graduate from Holland College’s business administration program.
She worked for one year until the end of this past June at the Cocoon Wellness Spa in the Delta Prince Edward Marriott to put money aside to study accounting at a university in Australia, where the 24-year-old woman is currently living.
Raymonville certainly did not simply go through the motions at the spa as if it were just any job to make some money.
She embraced the work and worked passionately to build a special relationship with clients, owner Michelle Vail and coworker Maria Chicon.
“We became very close friends at work,’’ says Chicon.
“We just clicked together. She was very supportive here at work: her warm personality; the way she helped people; the way she helped me.’’
Vail says her cherished former employee brought a great deal to the job on both a professional and personal level.
“She gave so much of herself when she was here – how she connected with the guests,’’ she says.
So, when hurricane Dorian, the strongest hurricane in Bahamas history, hit Raymonville’s family with a vengeance, destroying the home where Raymonville’s parents, Medilia and Wesley, and her two brothers, Twesley and Geno, were living, Vail and Chicon also felt the immense slam.
“My heart is so soft right now. You all are melting me so much. Oh, my heart.” Gina Raymonville
Gina’s parents and her brothers were forced to live in a car, moving from place to place for their safety.
Today, they are living in a shelter in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, hoping to make their way to the United States to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and start anew.
Vail pulls out her phone to play a voice message from Raymonville that conveyed the great angst the woman was experiencing as she waited for roughly one full week to learn the fate of her parents and two brothers.
She described herself as being so “mentally sick’’ over the ordeal.
“I feel hopeless,’’ says Raymonville in the recording.
“This is the worst, worst feeling ever.’’
Vail and Chicon are preparing to help ease some of the hardship facing Raymonville’s family.
The pair will be holding a fundraiser at the spa from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday and Monday. Mini-massages and mini-makeups will be done for a minimum donation of $25.
Chicon’s boyfriend, Michael Commisso, who works at Ray’s Barbershop in Charlottetown, will be cutting hair on both women and men, also for a minimum donation of $25.
“We’re capable of doing a lot over here (on P.E.I.),’’ says Commisso.
In addition, the spa will give 20 per cent from all retail sales on the two fundraising days to help Raymonville and her family.
Vail plays another message she received from Raymonville to show just how touched the Bahamian is with the personal gesture of her former boss and former co-worker, who all appear destined to remain close, life-long friends.
“My heart is so soft right now,’’ says Raymonville, her voice full with emotion.
“You all are melting me so much. Oh, my heart.’’