Haitian Orphans Beginning To Leave Hospital With New Families
Posted: 10:43 am EST January 18,2010Updated: 5:44 pm EST January 20,2010
PITTSBURGH -- The first of the 54 Haitian children brought to Pittsburgh from the BRESMA orphanage started to leave Children's Hospital Wednesday with their new families.
SLIDESHOW: Photos Of Orphans
VIDEO: First Families Leave Children's Hospital
RAW VIDEO: Jamie McMutrie Arrives Home With Orphan
RAW VIDEO: Emtional Reunion Between Ali McMutrie, Family
Volunteers from the Red Cross said about six children already left the hospital. One father, who resides in Colorado, said he is excited to be reunited with the 3-year-old girl he has been trying to adopt."The kids are playing and having a good time up there," said Red Cross volunteer Dan Lenz. "You wouldn't think that they came out of a horrible situation like that."Adoptive parent Andre Cardalhaes, of Colorado, said he doesn't have any official word yet but hopes to bring his little girl home in the next day or two."She was having fun with the other kids," said adoptive parent Andre Cardalhaes. "They interact. They take care of each other, sharing toys. They're a family."Channel 11 talked with the Baker family from Spokane, Washington as they were leaving the hospital with the three Haitian orphans who are now legally their children."It's been long. We are ready for it to be over. We would have never hoped for it to end this way. But we'll take them. We were close to being done but that's alright. We're doing alright," said Kris Baker.The last of the orphans arrived in Pittsburgh Wednesday morning with her caretaker, Ben Avon native Jamie McMutrie.Two-year-old Emma had gone missing Monday just as a group of Pennsylvania officials and medical personnel were leaving the earthquake-ravaged country with the orphans and the two Ben Avon sisters who had been caring for them and arranging their adoptions.Emma was found shortly after the jet left with the remaining orphans and McMutrie's sister, Alison. Jamie got off the flight to look for Emma. She was found at the U.S. Embassy. Jamie and Emma left Port-au-Prince for Miami late Tuesday.The arrival of the orphans comes one week after the massive earthquake in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12.Ali McMutrie spoke to reporters on Tuesday shortly after the group arrived in Pittsburgh."We're here, and I'm so thankful," McMutrie said. "When the earthquake hit, we felt hopeless. What runs through your mind is horrible. It was a long week, a tough week. The fact that we're here now was worth it. All I can say is thank you."
VIDEO: Ben Avon Sister Addresses Media
VIDEO: Haitian Orphans Arrive In Pittsburgh
The orphans were taken to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh for medical care and will be placed in group homes until their adoptions are finalized.Health care officials who evaluated the orphans said the majority of the children were in great condition, considering the circumstances.Some of the children, ranging in age from 11-months to 12-years-old, were able to leave the hospital as early as Tuesday night.Gov. Ed Rendell and other officials, including Rep. Jason Altmire, escorted the orphans from Haiti, where they and their American caretakers spent days in need of food and water after last week's massive quake.Allegheny General Hospital told Channel 11 that they had an ENT surgeon, neonatologist, pediatric physicians assistant and emergency room doctor on board the flight.The children's saga played out on the Web's largest social networking sites and on blogs beginning hours after the earthquake shook the Haitian capital, destroying or damaging most buildings, killing an estimated 200,000 people and leaving 1.5 million more homeless.Jamie McMutrie, who has been working in the BRESMA orphanage since 2006, and Alison McMutrie, who followed her older sister to Haiti about two years ago, were in their car on the way to the supermarket when the earthquake struck. They were unharmed but frantic.Approximately 150 children live at the BRESMA orphanage, ranging in age from 1 to 13 years old. The McMutrie family said Jamie and Ali are responsible for about 26 infants and toddlers.Through the U.S. Embassy, the McMutries quickly got word to their family in the U.S. that they were safe. Then they went to check on the children, many of whom already had adoptive families waiting in America and awaited paperwork to leave their old lives in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country for new lives in one of the world's richest.The children were unharmed, but the situation was dire. The orphanage was so badly damaged the sisters and the children were living in the courtyard. Food and water were scarce, and the women feared violent looting would further put them in danger.The McMutries borrowed a cell phone and sent an e-mail stressing the need for food and water and making it clear the children could only survive for a few days. They needed a plane, they said, and stressed they would go nowhere without the children.Jamie McMutrie's husband, Doug Heckman, and cousin Chad McMutrie, went to work. They tweeted and posted Facebook messages. They had people blog about the plight. They asked for donations and filled an office in Pittsburgh with food, clothing and baby formula, preparing for the orphans to arrive.They also contacted Altmire, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, former U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan and anyone else who would listen.Channel 11 was the first station to speak with Ali McMutrie one-on-one after her arrival in Pittsburgh. As it turned out, she was celebrating her 22nd birthday."I thought this was going to be the worst birthday of my life, but I guess it's the best. It's a great day," Ali said.
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SLIDESHOW: Photos Of Orphans
VIDEO: First Families Leave Children's Hospital
RAW VIDEO: Jamie McMutrie Arrives Home With Orphan
RAW VIDEO: Emtional Reunion Between Ali McMutrie, Family
Volunteers from the Red Cross said about six children already left the hospital. One father, who resides in Colorado, said he is excited to be reunited with the 3-year-old girl he has been trying to adopt."The kids are playing and having a good time up there," said Red Cross volunteer Dan Lenz. "You wouldn't think that they came out of a horrible situation like that."Adoptive parent Andre Cardalhaes, of Colorado, said he doesn't have any official word yet but hopes to bring his little girl home in the next day or two."She was having fun with the other kids," said adoptive parent Andre Cardalhaes. "They interact. They take care of each other, sharing toys. They're a family."Channel 11 talked with the Baker family from Spokane, Washington as they were leaving the hospital with the three Haitian orphans who are now legally their children."It's been long. We are ready for it to be over. We would have never hoped for it to end this way. But we'll take them. We were close to being done but that's alright. We're doing alright," said Kris Baker.The last of the orphans arrived in Pittsburgh Wednesday morning with her caretaker, Ben Avon native Jamie McMutrie.Two-year-old Emma had gone missing Monday just as a group of Pennsylvania officials and medical personnel were leaving the earthquake-ravaged country with the orphans and the two Ben Avon sisters who had been caring for them and arranging their adoptions.Emma was found shortly after the jet left with the remaining orphans and McMutrie's sister, Alison. Jamie got off the flight to look for Emma. She was found at the U.S. Embassy. Jamie and Emma left Port-au-Prince for Miami late Tuesday.The arrival of the orphans comes one week after the massive earthquake in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12.Ali McMutrie spoke to reporters on Tuesday shortly after the group arrived in Pittsburgh."We're here, and I'm so thankful," McMutrie said. "When the earthquake hit, we felt hopeless. What runs through your mind is horrible. It was a long week, a tough week. The fact that we're here now was worth it. All I can say is thank you."
VIDEO: Ben Avon Sister Addresses Media
VIDEO: Haitian Orphans Arrive In Pittsburgh
The orphans were taken to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh for medical care and will be placed in group homes until their adoptions are finalized.Health care officials who evaluated the orphans said the majority of the children were in great condition, considering the circumstances.Some of the children, ranging in age from 11-months to 12-years-old, were able to leave the hospital as early as Tuesday night.Gov. Ed Rendell and other officials, including Rep. Jason Altmire, escorted the orphans from Haiti, where they and their American caretakers spent days in need of food and water after last week's massive quake.Allegheny General Hospital told Channel 11 that they had an ENT surgeon, neonatologist, pediatric physicians assistant and emergency room doctor on board the flight.The children's saga played out on the Web's largest social networking sites and on blogs beginning hours after the earthquake shook the Haitian capital, destroying or damaging most buildings, killing an estimated 200,000 people and leaving 1.5 million more homeless.Jamie McMutrie, who has been working in the BRESMA orphanage since 2006, and Alison McMutrie, who followed her older sister to Haiti about two years ago, were in their car on the way to the supermarket when the earthquake struck. They were unharmed but frantic.Approximately 150 children live at the BRESMA orphanage, ranging in age from 1 to 13 years old. The McMutrie family said Jamie and Ali are responsible for about 26 infants and toddlers.Through the U.S. Embassy, the McMutries quickly got word to their family in the U.S. that they were safe. Then they went to check on the children, many of whom already had adoptive families waiting in America and awaited paperwork to leave their old lives in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country for new lives in one of the world's richest.The children were unharmed, but the situation was dire. The orphanage was so badly damaged the sisters and the children were living in the courtyard. Food and water were scarce, and the women feared violent looting would further put them in danger.The McMutries borrowed a cell phone and sent an e-mail stressing the need for food and water and making it clear the children could only survive for a few days. They needed a plane, they said, and stressed they would go nowhere without the children.Jamie McMutrie's husband, Doug Heckman, and cousin Chad McMutrie, went to work. They tweeted and posted Facebook messages. They had people blog about the plight. They asked for donations and filled an office in Pittsburgh with food, clothing and baby formula, preparing for the orphans to arrive.They also contacted Altmire, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, former U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan and anyone else who would listen.Channel 11 was the first station to speak with Ali McMutrie one-on-one after her arrival in Pittsburgh. As it turned out, she was celebrating her 22nd birthday."I thought this was going to be the worst birthday of my life, but I guess it's the best. It's a great day," Ali said.
Previous Stories:
- January 18, 2010: Q/A With Woman Who Works With Pittsburgh Sisters' Orphanage In Haiti
- January 16, 2010: Ben Avon Sisters Work To Save Haitian Orphans
- January 15, 2010: Donations Needed For Pittsburgh Sisters At Haiti Orphanage
- January 14, 2010: FBI Warns Of Haiti-Related Internet Scams
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