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.

'Hard to Have Joy'

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."

A Long Journey

The family flew from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to London and then to JFK Airport on British Airways, arriving in New York on Tuesday.

Abilass seemed unfazed by the intercontinental journey.

"The baby is basically asleep," said Lisa Sharkey, a "Good Morning America" senior producer who met them as they landed. "He's a very good boy."

The group's first stop was the promenade in Brooklyn Heights, where they could see lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Abilass also saw something else for the first time -- snow. ABC News bought him a snowsuit to keep him warm in the unfamiliar weather.

Murugupillai, a barber, and Jenita have been married one year, and Abilass -- whose mother calls him a miracle -- is their first child.

While in New York, they hope to meet the woman from UNICEF who helped expedite the DNA tests that proved the baby was theirs. In addition, Sri Lankan Ambassador Devinda Subasinghe welcomed them to America in a phone call.

The family also will do typical sightseeing in the Big Apple, including a carriage ride through Central Park and visiting Times Square. They'd also like a closer look at the Statue of Liberty.

"Where we stood on the promenade in Brooklyn, you could see where the World Trade Center towers used to be," Sharkey said. "We had 9/11. They had the tsunami. There's a certain camaraderie."

Before the trip, Abilass' father said visiting the United States was "something I never dreamed of in my life."

"I will go and see the country first," he said. "Maybe one day I will get a chance to send my child there for education."