Haiti Rescue Baby Reunited With Mom After Six Months

By Monique Jessen | Thursday, July 29, 2010 9:01 AM ET

Baby Landina, brought to the UK for life-saving surgery after the Haiti earthquake is finally reunited with her mom in London



Six months after the Haiti earthquake, Marie Miracle Seignon, a native Haitian, had given up all hope of finding her beloved baby girl Landina. Living in one of the worst slums in the capital of Port-au-Prince, she had zero resources and had to assume her daughter was dead. But six weeks ago, she received the amazing news that Landina was alive and well.

As we previously reported back in March, Landina was rescued from the rubble of January's devastating earthquake in Haiti's capital and flown to Britain for a life-saving operation on her skull (she also had her arm amputated prior to leaving Haiti). With the help of Facing The World, a charity specializing in craniofacial reconstructive surgery for children, little Landina got better with each day that passed.

The next step was to try and find the little girl's relatives back in Haiti. With all the documentation having been buried under the hospital where she was found in Port- au-Prince, it seemed an impossible task but the charity persevered and with the help of a Channel 4 News journalist, Inigo Gilmore, the team finally tracked down Marie Miracle Seignon — Landina's biological mom.

According to Channel 4 News, Seignon (whose name means Mary Miracle) was eventually found as a result of a local radio appeal. But when her friend ran to tell her the amazing news, she didn't believe her. "She said 'this may sound like something from the movies but Landina is alive,' recalls Seignon, adding: "Even after the reporter came and showed me the pictures it was still hard to believe." Sponsored by the charity, Seignon flew to the UK (her first trip outside of Haiti) on Tuesday for an emotional reunion with 8-month-old Landina. Breaking down in tears, she said "this is a very happy moment."

Mom and daughter will stay in the UK for six weeks before returning home to Haiti and Landina's three siblings. But, with the living conditions being so poor in the slums and access to primary health care so limited, the charity is understandably concerned about Landina's future. And so, they have one last mission to complete before they say their goodbyes — they want to raise $190,000 for the little girl's education and upbringing.

Marie Miracle Seignon's smile and middle name says it all.

If you would like to donate to the Landina fund please visit Facing The World's

fundraising page here.http://www.justgiving.com/landina

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