Four-Month Old Baby Known as 'Baby 81' Reunites with his Parents
March 2, 2005 — -- In his young life, 4-month-old Abilass Jeyarajah -- known to the world as "Baby 81" -- has survived the tsunami in Sri Lanka and endured a legal battle to be reunited with his parents, becoming a symbol of hope during the tragedy.
Now the three of them have arrived in New York, where they are taking in the sights and shared their story exclusively on ABC News' "Good Morning America."
"It just makes us feel that there's hope, and there's hope for everyone," the infant's father, Murugupillai Jeyarajah, told ABC News through a translator.
Abilass, born Oct. 19, was pulled from his mother's arms when the Dec. 26 tsunami ravaged his country, leaving 31,000 people there dead and a million homeless. Hours later, he was found under a pile of garbage, caked in mud and was taken to a hospital, where he was the 81st person admitted that day.
The boy, also known as the "Miracle Baby," remained hospitalized as his parents and eight other couples -- desperate to find their children alive -- claimed him as their own.
"God only knows why they didn't just give him to us, because that's the same hospital where he was born and they knew us," Murugupillai said.
Murugupillai and his wife, Jenita, whose records were lost when their home was destroyed, were finally reunited with Abilass on Feb. 16 after DNA tests proved they were, indeed, his parents. The couple feels relief, but also sadness.
"Surrounding us, everyone's lost people," Murugupillai told ABC News' Charles Gibson. "It is hard to have joy, because there is sadness all around us."
Though the world knows their child as "Baby 81," the couple does not like the nickname.
"That's a name given to him by the hospital," Jenita said. "It's a name associated with sadness and worry."
The Jeyarajah family is visiting America through a trip paid for by ABC and expedited visas arranged by the U.S. Embassy.
"It's the first time we set foot on airplane," the couple said through their translator. "It's just happiness. We will never forget it."
The family flew from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to London and then to JFK Airport on British Airways, arriving in New York on Tuesday.
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