Last August, Thien Nhan travelled to Dartmouth, New Hampshire in the United States, where he underwent urethral surgery. An interesting article about his case has just been published in Dartmouth's medical magazine --online at:
Last Sunday, one day after getting four stitches in his lip, Thien Nhan joined his preschool classmates at a Christmas carol performance held in Hanoi's historic Opera House. Due to his accident, he'd missed the dress rehearsal and was overwhelmed - and scared - by the giant stage and bright lights. "The kids were on a stage that moved up and down," explains mom Mai Anh. "Thien Nhan got really scared and cried through most of the song." Luckily, his big brother, Little Minh, 3, was at the concert too, and helped to reassure Thien Nhan. "Nhan wasn't the only kid who was crying," says Mai Anh. "After his accident and the anaesthetic he wasn't his usual happy self. He had a tough weekend." Luckily he's fine now and the family's looking forward to a happy and relaxing Christmas!
Poor Thien Nhan had a musical mishap! While standing on the piano bench and pressing on the keys with his leg-stump to make "music", the tot lost his balance and fell off, landing face first. "There was blood all over his chin and shirt," reports mom Mai Anh. "Nghinh and I totally panicked. We were so scared. We all rushed to the emergency room at Viet Duc Hospital."
Thien Nhan is busily preparing for this Sunday's Christmas concert, when he'll join his preschool classmates in singing carols at Hanoi's Opera House.
After a few weeks being plagued by colds and flus, Thien Nhan and his brothers, Big Minh and Little Minh, are all healthy again. Check out the cute video link of the boys playing with modelling clay at the Hanoi Children's Palace.
Thanks to Hanna's Mum and all of the Saigon Help Thien Nhan volunteers who showed up to help sell Bubbafish toys at last Saturday's HCM City British International Christmas Craft Fair! We sold VND13 million worth of soft, handmade toys, including 50 pieces that went to Smart Kids International School. 
Thien Nhan's most devoted supporter, Singaporean comic CC Lee, keeps coming through for the tot. In the last month alone, CC Lee -- creator of the Singapore Straits Times comic strip "Chew On It!" -- has raised US$5,641 from his readers and colleagues in Singapore, and added another $369 of his own money, for donations totalling US$6,010 for Thien Nhan! Check out CC Lee's artwork at http://chewonitcomics.blogspot.com/
This past Saturday, the Bubbafish/Help Thien Nhan booth at Saigon's Mekong Merchant Craft Fair sold over 120 soft toys, raising VND1.5 million for Thien Nhan and giving away hundreds of flyers about his case.
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."
Thanks to Philip Chu, of Hong Kong, who sent us an article about the world's first-ever whole organ transplant grown from the patient's own stem cells. This innovative procedure offers real hope for Thien Nhan's genital reconstruction and leg in the future.
Hanoi has been in the news a lot recently due to stormy weather and flooding, with parts of the city under several feet of water. All that rain and stagnant water have led to a rise in illnesses, including colds and flus. Thien Nhan, who is badly affected by weather fluctuations, has come down with yet another cold. "He's tough and rarely gets severely ill," reports mom, Mai Anh. "But he had a fever last night and feels miserable." While big brother Little Minh is fine, Mai Anh kept him home from preschool too -- mostly to appease Thien Nhan. "When Nhan saw Minh getting ready to leave he started screaming," says Mai Anh. "He was desperate for Minh to stay home with him."
Bubbafish soft toys were a big hit at last Saturday's Saigon South International School Christmas Craft Fair, with more than 150 of the colorful critters finding new homes. As well as raising VND2 million for Thien Nhan and other needy Vietnamese kids, we also gave away more than 100 flyers about Thien Nhan's cause. Many SSIS' students were fascinated by the tot's story, and eager to help by handing out flyers and buying our handmade toys. Many thanks to SSIS for providing us with a free booth at their fantastic Christmas Fair!
Last week, Son Michael Pham of Seattle-based Kids Without Borders (KWB) -- the organization that helped to arrange Thien Nhan's urethral surgery in the USA -- stopped by Thien Nhan's house for a visit. This was the first time that Son Michael had met Thien Nhan's eldest brother, Big Minh, 8, and grandmother.
A TV crew from the Bai Hat Vietnam song-writing contest visited Thien Nhan's family yesterday, to present the tot with a special gift. Composer Jazzy Da Lam's song about Thien Nhan, titled "Incredible Things", took first place in the nationwide contest, and Ms. Da Lam donated her VND5 million prize to Thien Nhan.
Following an eventful Friday morning marching to promote traffic safety in Saigon, Thien Nhan, his parents and big brother Little Minh enjoyed a festive dinner with some of Thien Nhan's loyal supporters in HCM City. Some 30 people attended this gathering.
Early this morning, Thien Nhan joined actress Michelle Yeoh and hundreds of other participants at a rally outside the Presidential Palace in Ho Chi Minh City to raise awareness about traffic safety.
"Incredible Things", a song that composer Jazzy Da Lam wrote about Thien Nhan, was awarded first prize in the Bai Hat Vietnam song-writing contest. Sadly, Thien Nhan could not attend the awards ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday October 26th, as he was down with the flu. A sore throat and a high fever stopped the tot from flying. "We'd already bought the tickets but had to cancel the trip at the last minute," reports his disappointed mom, Mai Anh.
