Recovering

Thien Nhan spent two days in Intensive Care, but is now recovering well. He is in pain, but his discomfort is being managed with medication. A risk of complications remain, especially pulmonary issues, as fluid can easily accumulate in the lungs of youngsters of Thien Nhan's age post-surgery.

As advised before the surgery, an additional urological surgery will be required in 6 to 9 months. But the goal of this surgery - to rebuild the boy's genitals - seems to be an outstanding success.

"Without going into graphic detail, suffice it to say that he looks 100% normal," says Greig Craft, the American philanthropist who, over the past 4 years, has been instrumental in organizing Thien Nhan's medical care. "Because the revolutionary technique of Dr. De Castro involves creating a penis from the pubic area, where flaps are cut from the side and formed to create a natural-looking, age-appropriate and functioning penis, the end result is stunning. Because this is from his body it will grow with him through puberty, as would his original penis."

The child's scrotum was also rebuilt, and a prosthetic testicle inserted. When he gets bigger, another testicle will be added.

[Photo shows the surgeon who led Thien Nhan's reconstructive surgery, Dr. De Castro, changing the boy's bandages.]

Then and Now

Four years ago, shortly after birth, Thien Nhan was abandoned on the edge of a forest in Central Vietnam. He lay in the open for three days and was badly mauled by wild animals. Found by passerby, the horrifically injured baby was transported 2.5 hours by motorbike to the nearest hospital, where doctors performed life-saving surgery. Unfortunately, the child's right leg was lost and his genitals were badly damaged.

Last week, Thien Nhan, now 4, underwent another life-changing surgery in Bologne, Italy. Surgeons worked for more than 8 hours to rebuild the boy's penis and insert prosthetic testes. "The surgeons say everything went well and he is recovering," reports Thien Nhan's relieved mum, Mai Anh. Full recovery is expected to take three months.

[Top left photo: Thien Nhan recovering from surgery in Bologne, Italy. Top right photo: Thien Nhan in Intensive Care as a newborn in Central Vietnam.]

Help for Little Manh?

We recently heard about another little Vietnamese boy in need of financial and surgical help. Four years ago, at the age of 5, Manh suffered burns over 40% of his body when his parents set the family home on fire in a suicide attempt. There was a history of domestic violence. Manh lost both parents and was left with severe scarring on his face, arms and legs. His hands were so badly burned that he could not hold a spoon or a pen.

With support from his community, Manh is now living with his impoverished grandparents in a small village near Hanoi. A polite, mature and intelligent boy, he is at the top of his class at school. Every day, rain or shine, he makes the difficult two-mile walk to class. Last month, a local private charity arranged for Manh to undergo hand surgery at Hue Central Hospital. The operation has enabled him to use one hand normally. Manh dreams of growing up to become a doctor in order to care for other burn victims.

For more information on little Manh, please visit http://trantienfoundation.org/stories-blog.htm. If you have leads to plastic surgeons or organizations or individuals willing to aid this brave little boy, please email Sam at samsey2@ncf.ca

Sick at Home

"Incredible Things", a song that composer Jazzy Da Lam wrote about Thien Nhan, was awarded first prize in the Bai Hat Vietnam song-writing contest. Sadly, Thien Nhan could not attend the awards ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday October 26th, as he was down with the flu. A sore throat and a high fever stopped the tot from flying. "We'd already bought the tickets but had to cancel the trip at the last minute," reports his disappointed mom, Mai Anh.

Thien Nhan's fever is down today but he is still at home recuperating. "The weather in Hanoi changed and it was very rainy this weekend," says Mai Anh. "Whenever there is a change in weather Thien Nhan's leg aches so he does not sleep well. And many kids have flu right now and he caught it too."

This week, representatives of the Bai Hat Vietnam song contest will visit Thien Nhan along with a TV crew. "It is a beautiful song," says Mai Anh. "We are very happy that it won and thank all of Thien Nhan's supporters."