Happy Holidays!

We hope that you all had a merry Christmas and wish you all the best in 2012!

A good outcome

Thien Nhan is getting "back on his foot" following his latest round of surgeryin Hanoi. The 5-year-old is healing well and is in good spirits.

All of the 31 other boys who underwent genital surgery at the Hanoi Paediatrics Hospital have also returned home to their families. The all-volunteer surgical team, which included Italian, American and Vietnamese specialists, were pleased with the outcomes of all 32 operations.

Fundraising is now underway to raise money for another 60+ Vietnamese boys to receive surgery to repair or rebuild damaged or malformed genitals.

Thien Nhan Recovering

Thien Nhan's latest surgery at the Hanoi National Pediatric Hospital went well, although he remains in considerable pain and is having trouble sleeping. "He doesn't complain but I hear him crying quietly at night," says his mum, Mai Anh. "The first days are the worst."

Two days ago Thien Nhan, now 5, underwent his third surgery to repair his genitals, which were badly damaged when he was abandoned at birth in the jungle near Danang and mauled by wild animals. His first two surgeries were performed in the US and in Italy.

It is expected that Thien Nhan will require two more surgeries, plus lifelong hormone replacement therapy to help him to mature normally. He is a bright, active and very determined little boy, who loves video games, cake and playing with his brothers.

Thien Nhan's big dream is to get a high-tech, "robot" prosthetic limb that will allow him to walk and run. Due to his very short leg-stump, previous prosthetics have proven unusable. He moves around by hopping on his left leg, which is hard as steel.

Progress report

Thien Nhan continues to heal from his operation last February, at which time he underwent major reconstructive surgery on his genitals. His dressings must still be changed three times a day, and he is not back at school yet.

"He is stressed," says the boy's mother, Mai Anh. "He just wants to go back to school and get back to his normal life. A few days ago I heard him crying under the blankets late at night. He said that nothing was wrong. But later he told his big brother that he is scared that something will go wrong with the surgery."

Thien Nhan will turn five in July. All being well, he can go back to school after the summer holidays.

Thien Nhan Video

Click on the title to see a video of Thien Nhan, taken nine hours after he got out of surgery. He continues to heal well and is looking forward to returning to Hanoi to play with his cousins and his 5-year-old brother, Little Minh.

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.]

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.]

Waiting...

Yesterday, Thien Nhan underwent four hours of medical tests and was declared healthy enough to undergo surgery tomorrow. The operation will start at 2pm Vietnam-time on Saturday January 29th. The surgery is expected to take around eight hours.

"Today we will rest around the hotel," says Thien Nhan's mum, Mai Anh, who admits that waiting is tough.

"Thien Nhan knows that the operation will hurt and be bloody," says Mai Anh. "But he told his brother Big Minh that he isn't scared. He said that everything will be fine and he'll have a penis like his other brother Little Minh's."

Hungry

When Thien Nhan, his mum and brother arrived at their hotel in Bologne in the middle of the night, there was nothing to eat. "Go to sleep now and we'll eat in the morning," said Thien Nhan's mum, Mai Anh.

Unfortunately, in the morning Mai Anh learned that Thien Nhan wasn't allowed to eat until after he'd had some medical tests.

"Mum, I'm so hungry," said Thien Nhan.

"I know love," said Mai Anh. "I'm so sorry but you must wait. I'm hungry too."

"So why don't you have some bread?" said Thien Nhan.

"No," said Mai Anh. "When you can eat, I'll eat too."

"You should have some bread."

"But you're not allowed to eat yet."

"Go on, Mum. Eat something now. I'll eat after I've had my check up," said Thien Nhan.

Mai Anh was so proud of her brave little boy, and so touched by his concern for her.

[Photo shows a tired and hungry Thien Nhan waiting to see specialists.]

At the Hospital

After a long trip, Thien Nhan arrived safely in Bologne, Italy. "He was a good boy on the flight and ate and slept well," says his mum, Mai Anh. "We are all tired but happy to be here."

This morning, Thien Nhan will see doctors for a pre-surgery consultation. The surgeon needs to be sure that he is healthy enough to withstand such a lengthy and difficult operation.

Bon Voyage

Along with trip organizers and longtime supporters Na Huong and Greig Craft, Thien Nhan, his mom Mai Anh and his 12-year-old brother Big Minh boarded a flight to Paris last night at midnight. Their final destination is Bologne, Italy, where Thien Nhan, 4, is to undergo genital surgery on January 29th.

As the group sat waiting at Hanoi's Noi Bai airport, Mai Anh admitted to being nervous about Thien Nhan's upcoming surgery. "I'm sure that Thien Nhan will sleep on the plane," she said. "But I doubt that I will."

[Photo: Thien Nhan (right) and his brother Little Minh check out some new toys that Thien Nhan will bring on his trip to Italy.]

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].

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays!

Here's a photo of Thien Nhan (shortest, in center) celebrating Christmas with his preschool classmates.

Sorry for the long blog-silence but Elka, who runs Thien Nhan's English blog, has had vision trouble. Health-wise, this has also been a tough year for Thien Nhan's mum Mai Anh, but the whole family is looking forward to a healthy, happy and succesful 2011!

In just a few weeks Thien Nhan, 4, will be heading to Italy, where he's to undergo reconstructive surgery with one of the world's leading experts in male genital reconstruction. In preparation, Thien Nhan has been getting hormone injections for some months.

Thien Nhan and his family wish all of you a festive Christmas & New Year!

Last week, Thien Nhan and his brother Minh enjoyed a fun party for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Along with kids from their neighborhood, the brothers, aged 4 and 5, watched dragon dancers, sang and participated in a lantern procession. They also ate moon cakes - traditional cakes filled with bean paste, eggs and bacon. In Vietnam, the Mid-Autumn Festival is devoted to children.

Back To School

Last Monday, Thien Nhan went back to school following a two-month summer vacation. "In previous years he was very excited to go to school," says the 4-year old's mom, Mai Anh. "But this year he felt very sad. All of the other kids were jumping around and dancing and Thien Nhan just watched them. He is getting older and becoming more aware of his handicaps. It was a hard day for him."

Thien Nhan's Mum Is Honored as an Outstanding Citizen

This October, the city of Hanoi will celebrate its 1,000th anniversary. To mark this event, 10 Hanoians have been selected as "Outstanding Hanoi Citizens" -- and one of them is Thien Nhan's devoted mum, Tran Mai Anh.

At just 37 years old, Mai Anh is the youngest in the group. Most of the others are senior citizens and include three historians and researchers; a sports coach; the artist who organized the Hanoi Wall project; a community health worker; a war veteran who's heavily involved in his community; a company director; and a farmer who has helped to improve living conditions in his community.

"I am very touched," said Mai Anh. "I hope that this award will help more people to understand about Thien Nhan and other needy kids, and to help them to overcome their challenges in life."

[Photo shows Tran Mai Anh and her eldest son, Big Minh. Since Thien Nhan was adopted two years ago, Big Minh has been a wonderful source of help for Thien Nhan. He deserves an award too for being an "Outstanding Big Brother".]

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]

Still Waiting...

We are still waiting for news of the results of Thien Nhan's medical tests, which were performed in the US way back in late September in a bid to determine whether or not he has functioning testes.

Due to patient confidendiality laws, the hospital cannot answer queries by phone, and reports that the results are "in the mail"...

We're increasingly anxious and hoping for good news in time for Christmas!

Bubbafish Loves Thien Nhan

Bubbafish Toys attended the SSIS and Deck Christmas Bazaars in HCM City to sell handmade soft toys in aid of Thien Nhan. All profits from Bubbafish go to support Thien Nhan's medical care and education.

At these two events, Bubbafish raised VND15 million for Nhan! Handmade from original designs, Bubbafish's cute, cuddly toys cost just VND130,000 a piece at these fairs.

Many thanks to our wonderful volunteers: Hai, Thien, Chau Anh, Duc and Ali.

For those of you in HCM City who haven't picked up any Bubbafish toys, they'll be on sale at the British International School Bazaar on December 5th. This event runs from 9am to 2pm at British International School, 246 Nguyen Van Huong St., District 2.

Bubbafish is looking for outlets in Vietnam and abroad to sell its lovable toys. If you know of any shops that would like to carry these popular toys that support a great cause, please email Elke at elkeray@yahoo.com

Get Well Soon!

Talk about a rough month! A couple of days after getting back to Hanoi, Thien Nhan caught the flu from his big brother, Little Minh, who'd been bedridden for some days already.


"Thien Nhan had a high fever for three nights," reports the kids' mom, Mai Anh. "He was very well behaved even though he was sick. He didn't make a fuss and he took all his medicine."

Unfortunately, due to his high fever, he wound up in the local hospital, where he was given fluids via an IV (photo).

Get well soon, Thien Nhan!

The family is still waiting for the results of Thien Nhan's hormone tests, done during his recent trip to Texas.