Prepping for Round 2 of Surgery

We are hoping that Thien Nhan, now 3, will go to the United States this fall for major genital surgery. Details are still being worked out, but Dr. Tue Dinh, a renowned plastic and reconstructive surgeon from Houston, Texas has agreed to oversee the procedures. Dr. Tue specializes in genital reconstruction.

Thien Nhan's surgery would likely involve extracting the remaining third of his penis, which is currently covered by skin; creating a scrotum; and moving the undescended testes into the newly-built scrotal sack. While the viability of Thien Nhan's undescended testes remains unknown, the longer that these organs remain tucked inside his body, the higher the chance of damage.

These procedures are extremely complex, and Dr. Tue has set the estimated cost for this round of surgery at US$100,000. That's a lot of money! While enough money has been raised to cover this round, repairing the terrible genital damage that Thien Nhan suffered when he was abandonned at birth and mauled by wild animals will require several additional surgeries.

Like Thien Nhan's trip to the US for urethral surgery last fall, this journey will be organized by Hanoi-based philanthropist Greig Craft and Seattle-based Son Michael Pham of Kids Without Borders.

Please keep following Thien Nhan's progress and helping this brave little boy in his fight for recovery!

Lost & Found

Greig Craft, an American resident of Hanoi who runs the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, first heard about Thien Nhan's case in mid-2006, shortly after Thien Nhan was abandoned and mauled by a wild dog. Greig traveled to Quang Nam province to see the injured baby, and contacted overseas doctors who promised to help if he survived. After Thien Nhan was returned to his birth mother, Greig lost track of him, assuming, like most people, that Thien Nhan had succumbed to his massive injuries. When Greig learned via recent media reports that Thien Nhan was alive and had been adopted by a family in Hanoi he got in touch with Mai Anh -- and is now helping to secure medical help.