You've Come A Long Way, Baby!

On Tuesday morning Thien Nhan is meeting prosthetic specialists at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. To remind everyone of how far this brave little boy has come, here's a photo of Thien Nhan as a newborn in Intensive Care at Quang Nam Hospital, shortly after he was mauled. Thanks to everyone who's made this transformation possible!

Thirsty and Happy

It's been an eventful few days for Thien Nhan! Following a very successful and speedy recovery from his urethral dilation, Thien Nhan and his family drove to Boston, where they attended a medical conference and met some of the surgeons who might be involved in the future genital reconstruction process. Dr. Joe Rosen presented Thien Nhan's case to conference attendees, while Greig Craft met with many doctors in a bid to rally support. On Sunday, they flew on to Chicago, where Thien Nhan will meet prosthetic specialists.

The urethral surgery has made urination much easier for Thien Nhan, who used to refuse liquids so as to avoid having to urinate often. Thien Nhan is delighted with the results. "He is enjoying peeing and shows me all the time," reports his mom, Mai Anh. [The photo shows Thien Nhan and Mai Anh eating pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) in Boston].

Resting Well

Dr. Herz, the urologist who performed Thien Nhan's urethral dilation on Thursday morning, reports that the procedure went well. Dr. Herz enlarged the boy's urethral opening and stitched it to the skin to hold it open with sutures that will dissolve. A scope revealed that Thien Nhan's urinary system is in good shape and his kidneys are normal. His existing urethra is of a length that will make the future grafting of the urethral tube --which will be built using tissue from the inside of his cheek -- much easier. About one third of his penis remains, which is good news for future reconstruction. He will also have control of his bladder functions. At this stage Thien Nhan's testosterone levels could not be ascertained by a blood test. This test will be performed when he is near or at puberty. Thien Nhan is now in great hands, recuperating at the home of Dartmouth Center nurse Jennifer Ames. [The photo shows Thien Nhan being comforted by his parents post-surgery.]

Thanks to the medical team for their expertise and compassion: Dr. Daniel Herz , Dr. Levi Deters, Dr. Jennifer O'Flarhety, Dr. Christopher Rinaud, Jennifer Ames and Diane Beattie.

At the Doctors' Office

On Tuesday, Thien Nhan was examined by pediatric urologist Dr. Daniel Herz (in photo) and rehab physician Dr. Robert Deters at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. On Thursday, Dr. Herz will perform a urethral dilation, and use an internal scope to determine the condition of Thien Nhan's urethra in order to plan for future reconstructive surgery. The child's urethra may need to be reattached to the skin. Thien Nhan will be put under anesthesia during the procedure and have a catheter inserted for about three days afterwards. The doctors will also run blood tests to ascertain Thien Nhan's testosterone levels so as to establish what type of hormone therapy might be needed in the future. Based on his initial exam, Dr. Herz was optimistic that the core genital structure remains, which is good news for Thien Nhan's future reconstructive surgery.

Thank You Pacific Star Group Singapore!

The staff of Singapore-based global real estate investment firm Pacific Star Group has contributed a sum of US$8,300 towards Thien Nhan’s US trip and medical costs. This is in addition to a personal donation of US$5,000 from Pacific Star’s Group President, Mr. Jeff Tay .
Mr. Tay wrote: “Beyond money, may God bless Thien Nhan with a life full of abundance after such an unfortunate start in life. I believe Thien Nhan will grow up with forgiveness in his heart through the grace of those who have shown care and love in providing him a 2nd chance in life.”
Pacific Star Group’s Vice President of Administration, Agnes Sebastian, adds: “It is really heartwarming to see us steadily reaching our goal in helping Thien Nhan stay a strong, free-spirited and bubbly boy. I believe our donations, in addition to Mr Jeff Tay ’s personal donation would amply provide for his trip and medical costs and will help bring relief Thien Nhan. We wish Thien Nhan all the best and success for his surgery in USA .”

Overnight Flight

Following a phone interview with a journalist from the London Daily Mail, Mai Anh, Thien Nhan and Nghinh joined friends of Son Michael Pham’s for some familiar food at a Vietnamese restaurant in Seattle. Then it was time to say “Cam on & hen gap lai” (Thank you & see you again) to all of their new friends in Seattle.

On Sunday night, the family caught a 10.30pm flight to Boston, where Sue Hammond of War Legacies Project (http://warlegacies.org/) met them early on Monday morning. From there, they all drove to Sue’s home in New Hampshire, which lies near Dartmouth University Medical Centre. The family is now resting up in preparation for Thien Nhan’s medical exams.

Sleepy in Seattle

Yesterday, Thien Nhan and his family accompanied Son Michael Pham of Kids Without Borders to a Rotary Club luncheon at the Seattle Yacht Club (see photo), where more than 100 attendees gave the family a standing ovation. A journalist from The Reporter presented Thien Nhan with a toy mobile phone, and the tot promptly "called" his big brothers in Vietnam and had a long, imaginary conversation.

Tired out from jetlag, Thien Nhan fell asleep as soon as he'd finished dessert. Reporting on their second night in the US, his mom Mai Anh wrote:
"TN woke up last night at about 2am and played by himself in the dark. I heard him calling: "Duck duck!" and saw him playing with a toy duck given to him by Mr. Phi, a Vietnamese American man we met. He also called Little Minh on his new toy phone, then put the duck and his foot into my shoes and moved around the room quietly for about half an hour. Then he went back to bed by himself and slept soundly until 7am."

For info on Kids Without Borders, see http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/news/26131129.html

A Fine Welcome

Upon arriving in Seattle, Thien Nhan and his adoptive parents, Mai Anh and Nghinh, were met by Son Michael Pham of Kids Without Borders and swarms of TV reporters. Mr. Pham describes the family's arrival in the US as follows:

"Mai Anh did a wonderful job even being swarmed by the media with questions and after a long flight. Nghinh tried to keep Thien Nhan from falling off the stroller. And Thien Nhan was totally unimpressed with all of the attention, blowing kisses to the crowd surrounding him and then screaming "Let’s Go" after he got bored."

Thien Nhan's arrival in Seattle was covered by three US TV stations. To read one of the stories, go to: http://www.komonews.com/news/27008889.html Today, the family will attend a large Rotary Club luncheon.

Mai Anh wrote the following note about their journey to date:

"Thien Nhan slept very well during the flight and slept tight last night. We are in very nice hotel. Weather here is warm and so beautiful. We woke up early this morning and walked around the hotel under sun shine. TN pointed the car pass by and shouted so excited.
TN has a new trolley [stroller] and car seat. It is the first time he sits like this in the car. He looks so serious and happy in his "king seat".

The photo, taken prior to Thien Nhan's departure at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, features Thien Nhan's family and trip organizers Greig Craft (with his daughter) and Na Huong.

They're Off

After a quick stop at the EVA air office to thank the staff for donating a transit hotel room in Taipei, Thien Nhan and his parents Mai Anh and Nghinh were off to Hanoi's Noi Bai airport for their noon flight to Taipei. While nervous about leaving her other two sons, aged 3 and 8, behind in Hanoi, Mai Anh is optimistic that this trip will lead to great opportunities for Thien Nhan. At 11pm Taipei time (10pm in Vietnam), the family will board their overnight flight to Seattle, where they'll be met by Kids Without Borders founder Son Michael Pham.

Bon Voyage!

Tomorrow, Thien Nhan and his parents Mai Anh and Nghinh are flying from Hanoi to Seattle via Taipei. Greig Craft, who is organizing their US trip, called the EVA Air office in Hanoi today to confirm that all was in order. The ticket agent informed him that they had wanted to upgrade the family to Business Class, but unfortunately the plane was fully booked. Aware that a long stopover in Taipei followed by a trans-Pacific flight would be rough on 2-year-old Thien Nhan, the Vietnamese staff of EVA's Hanoi office had chipped in to pay for a transit room in Taipei airport for the family. We continue to be amazed by people's kindness and generosity towards Thien Nhan!

Feeling Poorly

Poor Thien Nhan has a sore throat and a fever, and has slept badly for three nights now. He saw the doctor yesterday, who diagnosed a virus and prescribed Panadol, cough medicine and more rest. Mai Anh is tired and worried, as she, her husband Nghinh, and Thien Nhan leave for Seattle the day after tomorrow. Luckily, the rest of the family hasn't caught the bug yet... The photo shows Thien Nhan preparing to take his medicine. Yuck!

Moon Festivities

On Saturday evening Thien Nhan joined dozens of well-wishers and other kids at a pre-Mid-Autumn Festival Moon Party, hosted by Hanoi's Le Club. Everyone who attended enjoyed the entertainment and excellent food, including traditional fruit carvings. The kids were mesmerized by the songs and colored lanterns, while the adults helped to raise money for Thien Nhan's US trip via a charity auction. Sadly, following a stressful week of medical tests, Thien Nhan came down with a fever and had to leave the party earlier than he'd have liked to. He's now resting up to get back in shape for his long trip to Seattle on August 14th.

Tests & Treats

Thien Nhan spent most of the past week undergoing medical tests prior to his departure for the US on August 14th. He stoically endured blood tests, x-rays, scans and a lot of poking and prodding. On Thursday, Thien Nhan rushed straight from the hospital to meet Miss Vietnam, only to be met by dozens of camera flashes and crowds of reporters. As usual, Thien Nhan took the chaos in stride and enjoyed the party. When it was time to leave he asked if he could take some sweets home for his big brothers, which is remarkably thoughtful given that Thien Nhan just turned two! While last week was tough for the tot, tonight he'll enjoy a special pre-MidAutumn Festival party.

Mid-Autumn Festival

Since Thien Nhan will be seeing doctors in the US during the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, the generous owners of the Le Club in Hanoi have decided to throw him a pre-moon Moon Party. Tomorrow (7pm Saturday Aug 9th) night, kids of all ages are invited to join Thien Nhan for moon cakes and a lantern procession at the Le Club, 162 Phuong Liet, Truong Chinh Street, Hanoi. Please call Ms. Thu Hang for details: 868-9568. The party organizers hope to raise some last-minute funds for Thien Nhan's trip to the US next week, and to give Thien Nhan and all the kids who attend a magical Moon Party.

Sweet Moments

Not only did Thien Nhan spend yesterday afternoon in the company of Miss Vietnam, he also got to share the beauty queen's birthday cake! Ms. Mai Phuong Thuy celebrated her 20th birthday with Thien Nhan and other fans at a book signing in Hanoi. A successful model, Ms. Phuong Thuy is donating proceeds from the sales of her new photo book and DVD towards Thien Nhan's medical expenses.

True Beauty

Miss Vietnam Mai Phuong Thuy announced that she will donate all proceeds from her just-published photo book Phu Nu va Tuong (Women and Classical Drama) and DVD 'Hoa Dong Noi" (Countryside Flower) to help fund Thien Nhan's medical care. The compassionate beauty queen read about Thien Nhan in a local newspaper and decided to help out. On August 6th, which is Miss Phuong Thuy's 20th birthday, she will greet fans and sign books from 4-5pm at the The Thao & Van Hoa office at 33 Le Thanh Tong Street, Hanoi. Thien Nhan will attend the signing and meet his new heroine Miss Vietnam. Thank you Miss Mai Phuong Thuy! (The photo shows Miss Phuong Thuy holding tuong opera masks).

Kids Without Borders

Thanks to the hard work of Greig Craft and Hoang Na Huong of the Hanoi-based Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, Thien Nhan and his parents received their USA entry visas yesterday, and will fly from Hanoi to Seattle on August 14th.

The family's air tickets were donated by Son Michael and Judy Pham, who run Kids Without Borders, a 100% volunteer-driven non-profit organization based in Seattle. Many thanks to Son Michael and to Judy for their generous support! To learn more about their long-running good works in Vietnam and elsewhere, check out the Kids Without Borders website at http://www.kidswithnoborders.org/Home.asp or email them at info@kidswithnoborders.org Their organization encourages schoolchildren to help other kids in need, thereby encouraging a lifelong commitment to volunteer work. (The photo shows a group of volunteers with some of KWB's beneficiaries on the steps of Saigon's Opera House.)

Thien Nhan, Mai Anh and Nghinh will spend a few days with the Phams in Seattle recovering from jetlag and meeting people involved in local charities. They will then will fly to New Hampshire on August 17th.

High-tech Baby

Speculating about Thien Nhan's choice of career when he grows up, his mom Mai Anh says:
"We think that Thien Nhan might be an IT man, so he won't need to walk around. Then when I see him listening and dancing to his brother Big Minh play the piano, I hope that he could become a successful pianist, which also doesn't require him to move around much. But photography seems to be his main love, and photographers travel a lot!"

Mom's Night Out

Usually, in answer to the question, "Where's your mom?" Thien Nhan says, "She's at work, getting money to buy me food!" -- an answer he came up with all by himself. But last night when a friend of his mom's phoned and asked if Mai Anh was at work Thien Nhan said: "No! My mom is out having fun!"

"He knows everything," says Mai Anh. "He's like a little policeman."

Kung Fu Thien Nhan

On Sunday night, Thien Nhan, his dad and his two big brothers went to see "Kung Fu Panda" at a big new movie theatre in Hanoi. It was the first film that Thien Nhan had ever seen on a big screen and he was very excited and impressed by the cartoon's action scenes and the surround-sound.