The parents of a Haitian baby rescued from the rubble after January's devastating earthquake said Tuesday it was "a miracle" that the girl survived, addressing reporters a day after their emotional reunion in the U.S.
Junior Alexis, 24, and Nadine Devilme, 23, hugged their baby Jenny during a news conference conference in Florida, where the 5-month-old girl was treated.
"I want to thank everybody, all the doctors, all the lawyers, because everything that has happened here is a miracle because my baby is alive and we have arrived in the United States," said Alexis, a hip-hop musician in Haiti who spoke through an interpreter.
Bob Martinez, the attorney for Jenny's parents, also teared up. He said the couple has received a one-year humanitarian visa from the U.S. government. The girl has received a two-year visa.
"We've been through a lot. I just want her to be alive and well," said Devilme, who held Jenny throughout the conference. The baby, who was dressed in a pink outfit and white socks, initially was sleeping, but woke up and starred wide-eyed into the cameras as they shot footage of her on her mother's lap.
Jenny and her mother were separated when the magnitude-7 earthquake struck. Several days later, the infant was pulled from the debris and taken to the U.S. for treatment of head and arm injuries and a collapsed chest.
The couple learned their baby had been rescued and began searching for her. A DNA test proved their parenthood.
The family was reunited in an emotional meeting Monday.
"I am just happy, happy, happy," Devilme said during the news conference at His House Children's Home, an agency that aids at-risk children both from the U.S. and orphaned children arriving from Haiti. The family is staying at the facility until they have a permanent residence.
