Medical Mission: 95 Kids in Need

Since Thien Nhan's first round of phalloplasty surgery, we've been inundated by requests for help from dozens of other families in Vietnam whose sons are suffering from malformations or traumatic loss of their genitals. In light of all that we have learned and experienced in the past five years, I feel a strong moral obligation to "give back" to others.

Thien Nhan has experienced complications and will require two more genital surgeries. In light of the prohibitive costs, we invited the Italian specialist, Dr. DeCastro, to come to Vietnam - and he generously agreed. In three weeks' time Dr. DeCastro will perform surgeries in Hanoi on 32 young patients - including Thien Nhan, at a cost of $1,500 per sugery. Fantastic!

This was a difficult decision for us, because it involves limiting the funds that could be given to Thien Nhan, who still has many unmet needs, including a working prosthetic limb, physio and educational costs. We hope that Thien Nhan's champions will continue to support him. That said, we also hope to find more donors to help other kids facing similar hardships. There are 95 children in Vietnam awaiting this surgery. Within the next nine months they could ALL receive this life-changing surgery - if we can find funding.

If you can help, please email me at gcraft001@gmail.com


Sincerely yours,

Greig Craft

Family Support

"Thien Nhan is able to sit up and is eating well," reports his mum, Mai Anh. Indeed, the 4-year-old is recovering so well that his doctors may allow him to check out early and fly home to Vietnam. "We hope to go home this coming weekend," says Mai Anh. This is good news for Thien Nhan's brother Little Minh, 5, who is back in Hanoi, where he misses his brothers and his mum.

An early return to Asia would also be good news for Thien Nhan's godparents, Greig Craft and Na Huong, who organized this child's life-changing medical mission and accompanied him to Italy. Over the years, Greig and Na Huong have repeatedly taken time off from their demanding jobs in Hanoi to organize and accompany Thien Nhan on trips to see specialists in the USA, Germany, Thailand, and now Italy. All of these journeys have been made at their own expense, and caused considerable disruptions to their busy schedules.

While Thien Nhan had a rough start in life, he is lucky to have found such fantastic godparents!

[Photo shows Greig Craft and Big Minh comforting Thien Nhan.]

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.]

Italy: one week to go...

The countdown is on! In just one week, Thien Nhan will fly to Bologna, Italy, to undergo the most important surgery of his young life.

Dr. Roberto DeCastro, one of the world's leading experts in genital reconstruction, will rebuild an age-appropriate sized penis and scrotum and insert prosthetic testicles. Because some nerves in Thien Nhan's groin are undamaged, the penis should have sensation, and should continue to grow as he matures.

This complex surgery will take seven to nine hours. Recovery time is estimated at 14 to 20 days. All being well, this is the most difficult surgery that Thien Nhan, who's now four years old, will have to endure.

After a sizeable discount the surgery will cost US$45,000. Travel and three weeks' accomodation in Italy will add around another US$20,000.

Luckily, Thien Nhan's champion, Singaporean cartoonist CC Lee http://chewonitcomics.blogspot.com/, has come through yet again. From May to December 2010, CC Lee raised an astounding US$13,755 towards Thien Nhan's medical care. As usual, he topped up the donations with his own money and handed over US$14,000.

In all, CC Lee, his readers and colleagues have donated US$77, 600 to help Thien Nhan. We are overwhelmed by the generosity of CC Lee and his fellow Singaporeans!

Thank you, Singapore!

[Photo shows Thien Nhan and his schoolmates doing their morning exercises].

Help for Little Manh

On April 22nd we posted a brief report about Manh, a little Vietnamese boy who had endured years of domestic violence, then been terribly burned when his drunken dad set the family home on fire, killing himself and Manh's mother.

Sam, a Canadian-based aid worker involved with aiding little Manh, just sent the following note:

Thanks to the posting about Manh on the Thien Nhan blog, I've just got Ms Kelly Song's offer to help with his education. She is a Korean woman who lives in Singapore. Isn't that fantastic? Manh has just had his operation a few weeks ago at Hue Central Hospital with help from the US New-Yok based Tran Tien Foundation of Dr Sung Tran. Manh is such a courageous boy. Chi Minh Minh of Les Amis De Hue has been walking with Manh and connected him to Tran Tien Foundation.

Thank you Ms. Song! Anyone else who wishes to know more about Manh, please visit http://trantienfoundation.org/stories-blog.htm. If you are willing to help this brave little boy, please email Sam at samsey2@ncf.ca

Singaporean Generosity

On January 3rd, the Singapore Straits Times ran a follow-up story by Judith Tan about Thien Nhan and the amazing help that the tot has received from Straits Times cartoonist Lee Chee Chew, whose blog "Chew On It!", is devoted to raising funds for little Nhan.

Since the story ran, Mr. Lee - who's never even met Thien Nhan - has raised another US$31,013 from readers, fans, colleagues (and out of his own pocket). The comic artist also donates all proceeds from the sales of his first two books towards Thien Nhan's rehab. To date, Mr. Lee has raised a whopping US$51,292. Thank you Singapore!

The SST story and Mr. Lee's blog may be found at: ttp://chewonitcomics.blogspot.com/2009/01/thien-nhan-on-print.html

To view the list of donors who have supported Thien Nhan via Mr. Lee, please scroll to the bottom of this blog. Our thanks to all of you!

Happy New Year

Three days ago, the Singapore Straits Times ran a story by journalist Judith Tan about Thien Nhan and the amazing help provided to him by Straits Times' cartoonist Lee Chee Chew. Since hearing of Thien Nhan's 's plight last year, the comic artist had raised and donated over S$32,000 via his 'Chew On It!' blog at http://chewonitcomics.blogspot.com/

Following this recent Straits Times' article, CC Lee reports that another S$5,000 in donations have come in during the past three days! What a fantastic start to the New Year for little Thien Nhan!

Thanks Judith Tan, thanks CC Lee and thank you Singapore!

Cam On Singapore!

Thien Nhan's most devoted supporter, Singaporean comic CC Lee, keeps coming through for the tot. In the last month alone, CC Lee -- creator of the Singapore Straits Times comic strip "Chew On It!" -- has raised US$5,641 from his readers and colleagues in Singapore, and added another $369 of his own money, for donations totalling US$6,010 for Thien Nhan! Check out CC Lee's artwork at http://chewonitcomics.blogspot.com/

Largely thanks to Singaporeans' generosity, we are nearing the US$70,000 mark for donations -- almost half way to our goal. Cam on CC Lee and Singapore!

Chew Love

Singaporean comic artist CC Lee http://chewonitcomics.blogspot.com/ has done it again, pulling in another US$2,112 (S$3,107) of donations for Thien Nhan from the kind people of Singapore! Lee then chipped in a lucky $88 to bring the sum up to $2,200. So far, this amazing cartoonist--who has yet to meet Thien Nhan--has raised close to US$17,000 for the tot from his fans and colleagues, plus chipped in over US$1,200 of his own cash. Thanks to CC Lee's and Singapore's continued support, Thien Nhan has lots to smile about!

Funny Money

A big THANK YOU to Singaporean comic artist CC Lee and to his many generous friends, colleagues and readers! Since hearing about Thien Nhan's plight in the Singapore Straits Times newspaper, CC Lee has collected US$14,803 for the tot from the kind people of Singapore, plus donated more than US$1,100 of his own money. CC Lee's latest collection drive raised S$2,080, or US$1,463, to which Lee then added US$237 to round the figure up to US$1,700. Special thanks to all monthly and repeat donors for their continued love and support for Thien Nhan! To see some more of CC Lee's comics, go to http://chewonitcomics.blogspot.com/

Generous Hearts

Followers and friends of the Cao Dai, a religious group founded in southern Vietnam in the 1930’s that promotes charitable works, have raised US$2,110 for Thien Nhan. LA residents Hien Cao and Khai rallied their friends who live all over the US and in Vietnam to support Thien Nhan. Many thanks to Khai Tang, Tuan Le & Tran, Huynh Nhut-Anh Jaxon, Doan Tran & Van Bui, Hien Cao & Nhi Hang, Bác Khanh Bui, Que Bui & Sister, Tami Phan, Thao Doan & Duyen Nguyen, Ai-Lien Dang, Ha Pham & Giao Huynh, Nghi Le, John Tran and My Bui, Quyen Bui, Tu Anh Huynh & Duy, Quy, Oanh & Cat Tien, Kevin Tran (son of Danh & Ha), Chau Ma & Binh, Trang Duong, Nhi Peter Vo, Xoa Lam, Hue Tang, Vannic Tang, and Kenny Truong, Ha T. Nguyen, and Huong L. Tran.

Special thanks to Hien Cao and Khai, who met Thien Nhan and his parents for a very enjoyable dinner in LA on Friday night. The only time that 2-year-old Thien Nhan stopped chattering was to eat his fried chicken and French fries!

Acts of Kindness

On August 26th, Thien Nhan met 10 (yes, 10!) doctors and prosthetic specialists at the Chicago Rehabilitation Center. The excitement and emotion are building in anticipation of Thien Nhan being fitted with a new leg. At this time, Thien Nhan's mom Mai Anh and trip organizer Greig Craft want to thank some of the unsung heroes who have helped to make Thien Nhan's US trip so remarkable.

Thanks to Jennifer Ames, the nurse who put the family up in her home in NH, along with her exceptional 13 year old son Daniel (who TN adopted as a another ‘big brother’) and provided round the clock care. Thanks to ‘Team Thien Nhan’ in Hanover, and to Sue Hammond for her support when the family arrived. And a big cam on to the Vietnamese family who drove 400 miles from Ottawa, Canada, laden with food and gifts, only to spend 1 hour with the family, and to the 8 Vietnamese-Americans who drove up from Massachusetts to meet TN and shower him with more toys and gifts. The outpouring of love from total strangers has been overwhelming. Special thanks to Dr. Joe Rosen, without whose early care and support none of this would have happened.

Arriving at the Logan Hilton airport hotel we were provided gratis rooms, and a special room for our media interviews, complete with snacks and drinks and cookies for TN. Thank you Volande, bellman Nic, Michal Penek, and May Jorem and all the others who welcomed TN – including check in and security staff. And special thanks to General Manager Farooq Rematwala.

We also want to acknowledge Liem Tran (a former ‘boat person') who made all of the arrangements. He and his friend Tom brought cakes and a bag of toys that kept TN well entertained during the interview! And thank you Cody Yiu, editor of the Sampan Newspaper for your thoughtful interview and great questions.

Arriving at United Airlines early Sunday for the flight to Chicago we were confronted with new airline regs regarding overweight bags, ticket change charges, excess bags fees etc. Luckily, the caring supervisor Ms Griffiths realized that this was a ‘special case’ and jumped in to help. Waiving all unanticipated fees (and substantial ones at that) she did everything possible to get us good seats and extra attention. We would never have made the flight without her. Thank you United Airlines and Ms. Griffiths!

There was a momentary scare during the flight when TN complained of stomach pains. Mom and dad rubbed his lower abdomen for several minutes after which TN suddenly let loose with a strong ‘stream’ that showered everyone! With a satisfied smile, he immediately closed his eyes and fell asleep! Thereafter he proudly notified his parents whenever he felt the urge to go. The urethral surgery obviously had its desired result. Well done Dr. Herz and Dr. Deters!

After arriving in Chicago we proceeded to Avis car rental to see what kind of ‘deal’ we could get. Fatefully, the first person we met was manager Patrick who did not even hesitate to set us up with a van large enough to accomodate us and our caravan of baggage (growing by the city due to TN's toys)! He and his staff – including Kim – were great. Patrick thanked us for making his day. Thank you Avis!

We then made a bee-line for Chicago’s Chinatown (having discovered that this is the quickest way to find a Vietnamese restaurant in America)! After an hour-long feast at The Noodle Shop we headed to Worchester House, a Northwestern Memorial Hospital-owned building for patients and their families. At $75 per night, we were expecting a hostel so were flabbergasted to find ourselves next to Lake Shore Drive in the heart of Chicago. Once again, TN's magic infected everyone. Duty manager Karen Smith did all that she could, putting the family in the best room available.

On Monday, Dr. Dudley Childress, one of the world’s preeminent researchers in prosthetics, came to personally welcome TN to Chicago. After hosting us for lunch, he took us to the Northwestern University Prosthetics Research and Rehabilitation Engineering Research Program, where we spent 2 fascinating hours meeting all of the staff in the research center, and visiting the various testing labs. We are hopeful that by the time he starts school, Thien Nhan will be able to play, and run and walk like other kids. Due to his young age, the immediate goal is to find a short-term solution to improve his mobility.

Back to Chinatown in search of Vietnamese food we finally stumbled upon Café Hoang, owned and operated by a former mechanical engineer named Quy and his lovely wife. The pair recognized TN from VN Express. Oh what a meal Chef Quy prepared! After paying the bill, we were shocked when Quy appeared and returned our money, saying, “It’s our honor to help”. And then the couple made an additional donation of $100!

As much as a journey to heal TN, this trip has been a discovery of the basic goodness in people everywhere. Thanks to all for their loving kindness!

[Photos, top: Worchester House, below: United Airlines, Cafe Hoang, Avis]

$12,000-plus

Thien Nhan's second birthday will be a lot brighter thanks to comic artist CC Lee and his generous supporters in Singapore.

To date, Lee has raised US$12,022 from his readers and colleagues, AND has chipped in more than $600 of his own money, not to mention his time and talent. We hope that one day Thien Nhan will get to meet his Uncle Lee and say "cam on" in person. Thank you Singapore!

Thanks CC Lee & Singapore

After raising another S$2,035 (US$1,489) from his readers and colleagues, Singaporean comic artist CC Lee threw in an extra US$111 to bring the figure up to a nice round US$1,600. So far, CC Lee and his wonderful readers and co-workers in Singapore have donated an astounding S$14,128 -- that's US$10,338 -- towards helping Thien Nhan! Special thanks to repeat and monthly donors, and of course to CC Lee.

Creative Giving

The support from people across Vietnam and around the world for Thien Nhan has been remarkable. Last week a construction worker in very old, dusty clothes stopped by Mai Anh's home to give Thien Nhan VND100,000 (US$6). "I hated to think how long he had to work in the sun and rain to earn that money," said Mai Anh.

Meanwhile, grade 1 kids from Doan Thi Diem School in Hanoi stopped by the Dan Tri newspaper office to hand over VND1m that they'd raised for Thien Nhan. Another creative fundraising effort is coming via http://chodientu.vn/ (Electronics Market), an online retailer of electronics and household items. During the month of May, Cho Dien Tu has promised to give 10% of online sales to Thien Nhan.

More "Funny Money"

Singaporean comic artist CC Lee just sent in another US$2,333--money he raised through sales of his t-shirts and comic books and donations made by his kind readers and colleagues. To date, CC Lee has raised an astounding US$7,430 (S$10,103) for Thien Nhan. Thanks for adopting Thien Nhan's cause, Lee! And thank you Singapore!

The Unstoppable CC Lee

This time round, readers and colleagues of Singaporean comic artist CC Lee sent in S$1,947, or US$1,423 to help Thien Nhan! As well as donating all proceeds from the sales of his books and t-shirts to the tot, plus footing shipping costs, Mr. Lee threw in US$177 to bring his latest Pay Pal transfer up to US$1,600. To date, this wonderful man has helped to raise S$6,643 (almost US$5,000) for Thien Nhan. Check out Lee's comics at http://chewonitcomics.blogspot.com/

Thanks again Singapore!

Thank you Singapore!

More thanks are due to Lee Chee Chew, the talent behind the CHEW ON IT comic strip, and to his generous readers, friends and colleagues in Singapore! So far, Lee -- whose comic strip runs in the Sunday Times -- has raised US$2,400 for Thien Nhan!

To check out Lee's efforts and to get a good laugh, check out his funny site at: http://chewonitcomics.blogspot.com/

THANK YOU SINGAPORE!

Thanks Lee!

After donating $100 to Thien Nhan, Singaporean comic artist Lee Chee Chew decided that he wanted to do more. Determined to help the tot he started to raise funds for Nhan via his blog at http://chewonitcomics.blogspot.com/. So far, Lee's colleagues and readers have donated US$700! His funny comic strip, "CHEW ON IT" runs in The Sunday Times in Singapore.


Special thanks to Gan Yong Lee, Clara, Bretault Francois, Anna Cheong, Chandra, Irene Lee, Paul Lim, Kelvin, Amran Mohamed, Seah Meng Hwee, Loke Wai Liam, Sally Lam, and Tay Chern Hui.

$10,500 and counting...

A GIANT thanks to all of you who've donated to giving Thien Nhan a brighter future. As of one week ago he had received over US$10,500! For details, please scroll to the bottom - and note that the list is already outdated and incomplete... We'll update it asap!