New Year, New Leg!

Yesterday, visiting Australian physiotherapist Douglas Falconer accompanied Thien Nhan to a fitting for a new leg, provided thanks to the generous support of Viet Ortho Hanoi and French charity organization Coeur de Bambou. This new, higher-tech leg features a jointed knee and foot, and can be adjusted as Thien Nhan grows.

The fitting process is time-consuming and difficult, requiring a lot of fine-tuning on the part of the technicians and Thien Nhan's parents. Thanks to Ms. Au, Mr. Duc, Dr. Olivier and Douglas for their patience. At the moment, Thien Nhan finds the new leg cumbersome and scary to use - it will take time for him to adjust. We hope that 2009 will be the year that he learns to walk!


Check out more photos and a video of Thien Nhan's leg-fitting at http://bnok.vn/nhatkychulinhchi/2009/01/22/kich-kich-kich-kich-cho-nam-moi/ Mom Mai Anh and big brother Little Minh were there to cheer the tot on.

Hard Work

Thien Nhan was healthy enough to go back to preschool today. Following his afternoon nap, he spent an hour-long session with our wonderful volunteer physiotherapist Ulrika, who wrote the following about today's lesson:

"Today's practice went very well. TN was standing or walking with his walker for about 40 minutes in a row. For training balance in standing we did some LEGO while using the walker close to a table. We also played some football for more difficult balance training. TN was using his walker back to front, so that the open end was facing the ball. He was holding on to it, of course, but while trying to kick with his left leg he automaticly has to lean over towards the right which gives some good practice."

Serious Efforts

Thien Nhan takes his walking lessons very seriously, and spends most of each day trying to balance on his prosthetic limb. Although this practice is uncomfortable and no fun, at just under two years old he already knows that it's in his best interest. While the limb is very easy to put on and off, Thien Nhan is convinced that his grandma does not know how to remove it correctly and often prefers to wait until his dad or Uncle Hoan come home to unbuckle him. Most evenings his dad takes the boys for a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake (left).

Walking Lessons

Thien Nhan is growing quickly and his prosthetic limb is once again too short, requiring him to balance on a hard book. He can't get an appointment at the prosthetics center until next week. While Thien Nhan used to protest whenever his fake leg was strapped on, he has now accepted that his daily walking lessons are for his own good, and often asks to keep the leg on during his lunch break. "He is very determined," reports Mai Anh. "He often practices balancing from 8.30am until 5pm, and even naps with his fake leg propped up on a little pillow. He wants to be normal."

Growing Boy

This afternoon Thien Nhan will go back to VietCot, a center that trains prosthetic technicians in Hanoi, to be fitted for a new prosthetic limb. Since being adopted just over nine weeks ago he has grown by several inches and needs a longer prosthesis.

Evening Stroll

Located in the middle of Hanoi's 1,000-year-old Old Quarter, Thien Nhan's house lies just a short walk from Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi's most famous beauty spot. Morning and night, locals flock here to walk, eat ice cream and exercise and Thien Nhan often joins them. His dad Nghin likes to take the boys around the lake every evening, with an occasional stop for kem (ice cream) as a treat. While Thien Nhan now rides in a baby stroller, in the future he'll be putting those fancy loafers (check them out, at right) to good use!