Three critically ill Haitian children left hurt in the wake of the devastating 7.0 earthquake on Jan. 12 may have a second chance after being medevaced to Philadelphia for lifesaving treatment.
A 5-year-old girl, 14-month-old boy and a baby were put on a private medical evacuation jet on Sunday and flown to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, hospital officials said on Sunday.
The girl, Betina Joseph, is afflicted with tetanus, the boy has pneumonia and the baby is suffering from 3rd degree burns from sun exposure, a CHOP spokesperson said.
Efforts to get the children to the U.S. had been in doubt after the U.S. military stopped its medical evacuation flights on Wednesday night over whether state or federal officials should pay for treating patients.
Betina's deteriorating condition was featured on NBC Nightly News Saturday evening. At that time pediatric doctors on the ground in Port-au-Prince gave the little girl 24 hours to live unless she had access to modern medical equipment -- particularly a ventilator.
As the tetanus progressed through the Benita's body, it would eventually lock her jaw, preventing oxygen and food from entering her body.
For some time, doctors were even unsure if Benita would be stable enough to travel.
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"Even in the best of circumstances, this is a child that would be difficult to save," pediatrician Dr. Cathy Burnweit told NBC News.
But by Sunday afternoon she defied odds and was strong enough to make it on the flight chartered by Boston-based aid organization Partners in Health and Global Aero Medical Services.
Doctors expressed their frustration over the military airlift shutdown as they transported Benita and the other two children to Port-au-Prince Airport for the private medevac.
"I don't know the politics behind it, but what I do know is that patients are dying because of it," Partners in Health's Dr. Phuoc V. Le told NBC's Kerry Sanders.
Regardless of the politics, Benita's family is just glad their daughter could be helped.
"Thank you for…people of America because it’s a people who have a great, big heart," the girl's father Mudali said on the flight.
Meanwhile, Florida's governor says federal officials have indicated his state would get help covering patients' medical costs.
"Florida has never slowed down, we never will, we're always gonna help 'em, we would just like a little help with the financial end of things," Gov. Crist said.
Florida officials have said that no hospital in the state has turned away patients.
The White House said that they've ensured that U.S. and international hospitals will have the capacity for the patients and expect the military airlifts to resume soon.
As for the children, Benita and the boy were last listed in critical condition, CHOP officials said.
Doctors transferred the baby to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in the Hunting Park section of the city. There was no immediate word on a condition.
Watch NBC News' Kerry Sanders' report on the medevac halt:
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