Tsunami Baby and Parents Tour NYC
March 3, 2005 — -- The true parents of "Baby 81" -- the Sri Lankan infant found alone after the South Asian tsunami -- said they always knew DNA tests would prove he was their child, and were "always united" with each other despite the stresses of the competing claims by other couples for the baby.
The couple revealed their thoughts in response to questions e-mailed by viewers of ABC News' "Good Morning America," which flew Murugupillai and Jenita Jeyarajah and their four-month-old son, Abilass, to New York on Tuesday on their first-ever airplane flight.
Big Day
Wednesday was an amazing first full day in New York for Abilass -- known to the media as "Baby 81" because he was the 81st person admitted to the hospital in Kalmunai, Sri Lanka, after the tsunami on Dec. 26.
The "miracle baby," who authorities finally returned to his true parents Feb. 16, made his first live appearance on "Good Morning America," met his first ambassador -- Devinda Subasinghe of Sri Lanka -- and even hobnobbed with his first celebrity, actress Uma Thurman.
Later, the family respectfully asked to visit Ground Zero, the site of America's own disaster.
They also took time to answer e-mailed questions that came flooding in via ABCNEWS.com from viewers eager to know more about the family's ordeal.
'Definitely Did Recognize Them'
Following are a few of the viewer questions and the Jeyarajahs' responses, delivered through an interpreter:
Peggy Watson, Media, Pa.: Did Abilass show signs of recognizing his parents before the DNA test results were in?
Answer: He definitely did recognize them. Even before, when he was a month old, when his father would pick him up and kiss him, he'd be very calm even if he was crying a lot. And when he went in the first time into the hospital, he was crying and he picked him up and the nurse said, "Wow, he stopped crying." And he kissed him, and they both called out his name, "Abilass." And he always used to look when they used his name. And he did that again at that point in time.
Tammy Schmuki, Coral Springs, Fla.: Did this ordeal bring you and your husband closer together or further apart?
Answer: They say they were united in their grief and sadness. They both had the same feelings. They never fought with each other and they were united, always united. So they were really quite close during this period.
Marolyn Aonson, Battle Ground, Wash.: Did any of the other parents that claimed your baby as theirs get their baby back?
Answer: They never really got to meet or talk to any of those parents. But they feel pretty certain that many of those -- the eight mothers -- have lost their children, because 3,000 people in their township died and many of them are children. So they're pretty certain that if they did find their children, they most probably are dead.