There is this unique passion and tone when a parents talk about the first time they saw their newborn child. It was nothing different for Quinterrius Eatmon and his wife, Melyza, nearly two years ago. Only difference for the Eatmon’s was their daughter, Melaynna Savannah, could not see her parents.
The diagnosis for the Eatmon family seemed so cut and dry. Their daughter had Septo-optic dysplasia and nearly 95 percent of children diagnosed with this rare disease that affects only 1 in 10,000 newborns, need to learn braille in order to communicate. Plus little Melaynna Savannah, who already could not see, also had Nystagmus — which is rapid, uncontrollable movements of the eye that caused the baby to panic when not in the arms of her mother.
Being a student and athlete was extremely difficult for Quinterrius. Leaning on his faith, Quinterrius graduated from USF with a degree in economics in 2014 and finished his playing career starting 46 of 47 games he played for the Bulls along the offensive line. Surgery for his daughter delivered a miracle as Melaynna Savannah reacted to a camera flash and seemed to follow light to give her hope for the future.
