Little Minh is in Hospital

As if Thien Nhan's family hasn't been through enough this past fortnight...

The night before last, Thien Nhan's brother and best friend, Little Minh, 4, suffered a seizure and stopped breathing. He was rushed to the 108 Hospital in Hanoi, where doctors managed to revive him.

Tests reveal that Little Minh suffers from epilepsy. "He is stable now but it was very scary," reports mum Mai Anh, who was only released from hospital herself a few days ago (and is supposed to be home in bed, recuperating). "They are doing more tests to work out the cause of the seizure and how to treat him."

Thien Nhan, 4, is staying with his grandparents and his eldest brother, Big Minh, 11. "I want Brother Minh to get better soon and come home," said Thien Nhan. "I miss him a lot."

[photo shows Thien Nhan and Little Minh during better times]

A Bad Week for Thien Nhan

Thien Nhan's had a rough time of it lately. A bad case of flu landed him in hospital twice this past week, as excessive coughing led to severe vomitting. After several days of not eating, he lost a lot of weight. "He looks very sad and thin," reports mom, Mai Anh. "He looks like a dried sweet potato."

As if Thien Nhan hadn't seen enough doctors, on Tuesday and Wednesday he had to go in to the Hanoi French Hospital prosthetic clinic to be fitted for a new leg. A short video clip (link below) reveals just how upset he was, screaming and begging his dad to make the doctors stop applying plaster to his stump in order to create a mold. But of course it's for his own good -- all being well, a month from now he'll receive a new prosthetic. Since he's outgrown his current limb he also had to stop by VietCot to get it extended, which meant more time in a hospital environment -- and more tears!

http://afamily.channelvn.net/20081119104823692tm0ca82/Con-khong-thich-thi-thoi-Video-that-dau-long