Mom's Night Out

Usually, in answer to the question, "Where's your mom?" Thien Nhan says, "She's at work, getting money to buy me food!" -- an answer he came up with all by himself. But last night when a friend of his mom's phoned and asked if Mai Anh was at work Thien Nhan said: "No! My mom is out having fun!"

"He knows everything," says Mai Anh. "He's like a little policeman."

Magical Evening

Thien Nhan is still smiling about his second birthday party, which was everything that a little boy could dream of. A beautiful birthday cake, sumptous buffet, baloons, gifts, and even a magician helped to make the night perfect. Many thanks to the Le Club for their generosity, and to everyone who contributed to the VND80 million (US$4,770) raised at this magical event!

Game Night

Thien Nhan and his brothers, Big Minh and Little Minh, love little more than an outing to the local Game Arcade. For a really special treat their dad takes them to KFC--newly arrived in Hanoi--afterwards. Rides, video games and junk food...it doesn't get much better for a little city kid... Seeing Thien Nhan now it's hard to believe that just 4.5 months ago he was living in a shack without running water on a remote mountain slope.

Fashion & Compassion

Many thanks to Dep magazine and the Le Club, which hosted a charity auction and cocktail party in Hanoi for Thien Nhan on Friday June 20th. The beautifully-organized event was attended by dozens of guests, including many models and women in gorgeous dresses--much to Thien Nhan's delight. Larger than life posters of Thien Nhan adorned the Le Club, and a video showed his progress over the past two years.

As well as raising VND50 million (about US$3,000) for Thien Nhan's upcoming trip to the USA, the Dep party brought fresh attention to our fundraising efforts. There are only six weeks to go before Thien Nhan will travel to Dartmouth, NH and Chicago for urethral surgery and prosthetic care!

Big Changes

It's exactly one month since Thien Nhan was adopted, and what a difference that month has made! "He was like a wild animal, with no idea what toys were for, and he didn't know how to eat anything except bananas and cold rice," recalls Mai Anh.

Today, eager to make up for lost time, Thien Nhan is eating everything that he can get his hands onto. "We need to be careful or he will get too fat," says Mai Anh. When Nhan was fitted for his first prosthetic leg 2.5 weeks ago, the doctors estimated that it would fit him for two months. But Nhan has gained so much weight and grown so fast that his prosthetic limb is already getting too tight and too short. So it's back to VietCot --the GTZ-funded institute that's supporting his prosthetic care--for adjustments...