LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Ironically, doctors say it was a life threatening injury that inadvertently saved the child's life. A house fire In December caused by unattended candles left Landina seriously injured and suffering burns to her skull.

She was undergoing treatment at La Trinite hospital in the capital when the devastating temblor struck In January, and was buried in the rubble for two days. When Landina was pulled from the debris, she was moved to a field hospital run by Doctors Without Borders. Her right arm was badly injured in the quake and had to be amputated.

It was during her hospital stay that it was determined that Landina would die if she did not receive an operation. Her skull had been so damaged by the house fire that it left her brain exposed to the risk of a fatal infection. Since the complex operation could not be carried out in quake-ravaged country, the doctor helped to set her up with a British charity that specializes in craniofacial reconstructive surgery.

Following the quake, officials did not know where Landina's family was or if any of her relatives were even alive. With her medical records destroyed in the quake, they didn't even have names to work with. The charity Facing the World brought the baby to London, paying for her travel and medical costs and acting as her temporary guardian.

In March, news reporters returned to Haiti to help the charity hunt for Landina's family. Several people pretended to be family members, thinking they could benefit from the relationship.

A radio announcement located Landino's mother Seignon, a 26-year-old mother of four. Seignon had an admission card from the hospital bearing Landina's name.

"When the notice was put out on a radio, a friend raced to my house and said, 'Please sit down.' She said, 'This may sound like something from the movies but sometimes movies do come true. I need to tell you that Landina is alive.'

"I didn't believe at first, and even after the reporter came and showed me the pictures it was still hard to believe."

After a DNA test proved that Seignon was Landina's biological mother, the charity helped her travel to London to spend six weeks with the baby she hadn't seen in half a year.