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The dark-skinned, curly-haired baby looked around at the small group of people gathered around Friday morning. She didn't seem to mind when the adults passed her from one to another.

Belle, a 16-month-old girl from Haiti, had just arrived at McGhee Tyson Airport in Alcoa with Molly Marks, a pediatric nurse practitioner with Blackmon Pediatrics in Powell.

“I went over (to Haiti) two weeks ago with ProVision,” Marks said. “I found Belle in an orphanage, and she was really sick.”

Marks said Belle had been orphaned prior to the earthquake responsible for killing thousands a few weeks ago.

Malnourished and dehydrated, the baby needed individualized attention only a member of the medical profession could give.

Marks decided to bring her to the United States for better medial care. In addition to dehydration and malnutrition, the baby has an intestinal parasite. Marks estimated that the child would need medical care for at least a few more weeks.

In order to bring the child to the United States, Marks had to get what she called a “medical parole” that is good for 12 to 18 months, but Marks intends to adopt the child. She will take a maternity leave as long as she can from Blackmon Pediatrics. Then, she said she will find someone to watch Belle so she can go back to work.