Months of turmoil have turned into two days of fun for a group of children who barely escaped the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in January.
For the 17 young patients who have been receiving treatment at Miami Children's Hospital, Wednesday's trip to Orlando was special, and not just for the kids.
"For me as a doctor to be able to take off the white coat and no needles, no bandages and just watch these kids have a great time," said Dr. Chad Perlyn.
Perlyn organized the two-day trip after spending time in Haiti and in Miami caring for the kids. And the hospital is picking up the tab.
"When we got back from Haiti and we had the kids in the hospital here, I thought to myself, 'we have to bring these kids here,'" Perlyn said.
The kids spent Wednesday running around in the Give Kids The World Village. They'll spend Thursday at Universal Studios.
Perhaps the most fun thing is that they get to stay at the Nickelodeon Resort, rubbing elbows with the likes of SpongeBob.
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It's a huge turnaround for the kids, many of whom were found buried under rubble and near death's door. One boy, Peterson, had an especially tough recovery.
"He came to us near dead, hundreds of maggots in his face his body full of infection," Perlyn said. "I've operated on him 11 times."
And yet there he was, splashing around in the pool, playing games and just having fun, alongside 16 others.
"They are blown away," Perlyn said.
