Seeing Red

Just weeks after coming down with a bad case of measles, poor Thien Nhan got sick again -- this time with a fever and an angry red rash. Initially doctors thought he had the chicken pox but then changed their minds. Worried that whatever it was could be highly contagious, mom Mai Anh sent Thien Nhan's brothers, Big Minh and Little Minh, to stay with her parents.

When little Nhan's rash cleared and his big brothers came home Thien Nhan cried with happiness. "He was so happy to see them again. He missed them so much," reports Mai Anh. "Now they're all at school again and life is back to normal." For now...

The picture shows Thien Nhan, age 2, (right) getting a hug from his brother Hai Minh, 4.

Late New Year

Because Thien Nhan spent the Lunar New Year in hospital with measles, the kind folk at the Le Club in Hanoi are now throwing him a Late New Year's bash! All of Thien Nhan's friends are invited to join the festivities this Sunday, February 15th at 6pm to 9pm. The Le Club, which also hosted birthday and Mid-Autumn Festival parties for Thien Nhan, is located at 162 Phuong Liet Street, Hanoi. Chuc mung nam moi muon!

Generous Hearts

We can hardly believe it but -- thanks to your generosity -- the Thien Nhan Fund has now received over US$100,000 in donations! People all over the world have chipped in to help this brave toddler, with special thanks due to Singapore, home of our champion fundraiser cartoonist CC Lee.

(http://chewonitcomics.blogspot.com/)

Individual donations have ranged from VND50,000 (about $3) to US$5,000. Upon hearing of Thien Nhan's plight, many people who have little to spare have given him as much (or more) than they could afford. Elderly war widows, weary construction workers and struggling young parents have all opened their hearts to little Nhan.

We cannot thank all of you good people enough for working so hard to provide Thien Nhan with a decent chance in life!

A Rough Week

On the last day of the Year of the Rat Thien Nhan came down with a high fever and had to be rushed to the emergency ward. He developed a rash all over his body and was too sick to eat or drink, requiring him to be hospitalized for four nights. "He looked like a Tet peach tree," joked mom Mai Anh, referring to the angry red rash that covered poor Nhan's entire face and body.

His dad, Nghinh, fell ill too, and poor Mai Anh spent her New Year's holiday rushing back and forth between her home and the hospital. Luckily Thien Nhan's fever is now down, and while he remains tired and weak he is at home again.

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.

A Good Start to 2009

So far, 2009 has brought good news for Thien Nhan and his extended family, with his Aunt Elka and Uncle Thien welcoming a new daughter, Eloise, on January 12th. Baby Eloise arrived by c-section in Saigon, weighing 2.9kg. She's a healthy, contented and beautiful little girl.

In other news, since a story about Thien Nhan and the help provided to him by Singaporean cartoonist Lee Chee Chew appeared in the Singapore Straits Times at the start of January, CC Lee has collected another S$9,065 (US$6,055) for the tot from his readers and fans!

Check out CC Lee's comics and amazing fundraising efforts at http://chewonitcomics.blogspot.com/

Thanks again Singapore!

Super Brothers!

To help Thien Nhan to celebrate the New Year in style, one of his supporters in Hanoi presented Nhan and his two brothers, Big Minh, 8, and Little Minh, 3, with matching superman outfits.

The kids had a great time modelling their new costumes and are reportedly so fond of them that they refused to take them off. "They told me that they did not want to eat too much in case they grow out of them!" reports the boys' mom, Mai Anh.

Happy New Year

Three days ago, the Singapore Straits Times ran a story by journalist Judith Tan about Thien Nhan and the amazing help provided to him by Straits Times' cartoonist Lee Chee Chew. Since hearing of Thien Nhan's 's plight last year, the comic artist had raised and donated over S$32,000 via his 'Chew On It!' blog at http://chewonitcomics.blogspot.com/

Following this recent Straits Times' article, CC Lee reports that another S$5,000 in donations have come in during the past three days! What a fantastic start to the New Year for little Thien Nhan!

Thanks Judith Tan, thanks CC Lee and thank you Singapore!

Dartmouth Medical Magazine

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:

http://dartmed.dartmouth.edu/winter08/html/vs_good_person.php

Thanks to the writer, Matthew Wiencke, for his thoughtful and well-informed story, to Greig Craft and Son Michael Pham, the trip's tireless organizers, and to all of the doctors and nurses who helped Thien Nhan at Dartmouth University Hospital.

Ups & Downs

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!

Musical Mishap

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."

At the hospital, doctors recognized Thien Nhan from local media reports. Aware that the boy has already been through a lot of trauma and fearful of damaging his adorable looks, they called two plastic surgeons from the Facial-Dental Hospital. These specialists decided to put Thien Nhan under general anaesthetic and used a special type of stitches that reduce scarring. Four stitches were required to repair his lower lip. "The doctors did an amazing job. Thank goodness he is fine and looks great," says Mai Anh. [Photo shows Thien Nhan the day after his accident.]

Christmas Decorations

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.

In preparation for the event, Thien Nhan's frame walker -- which he obtained in Chicago last August -- will be decorated with festive tinsel garlands and streamers. We'll post photos when available...

Something to Sing About

Today at preschool, Thien Nhan and his classmates spent time practicing singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". The toddlers will perform the song at a school Christmas party at Hanoi's historic Opera House. "It's amazing that when we got him nine months ago he only spoke a few words and now he can sing this song," says his mom, Mai Anh. "Time goes so quickly!"

Playtime

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.

"Winter isn't an easy time for Thien Nhan because cold weather makes his leg stump ache," admits mom, Mai Anh. But the tot is looking forward to spending his first Christmas and Tet with his adoptive family in Hanoi.

http://bnok.vn/nhatkychulinhchi/2008/12/08/965/

Christmas Cheer

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.

In the run-up to Christmas, Bubbafish - a small toy company operated by Thien Nhan's mom, Tran Mai Anh, and good friend Elke Ray - has participated in six craft fairs in Hanoi and HCM City, giving 10 percent of sales towards Thien Nhan's rehab. Sales at these events have contributed VND6 million to Thien Nhan, and raised a lot of interest in his case. Thanks to everyone who helped out!

Thanks Saigon Rugby!

A big thanks to the Saigon Rugby Club for their donation of US$500 towards Thien Nhan's rehabilitation. Let's hope that in the future Thien Nhan will be able to get out on the field and run with his prosthetic leg!

This money was raised during the club's Jon Ellwood Memorial Trophy - an annual tournament held in memory of Jon Ellwood, a club member killed in the 2002 Bali bombings. This year's charitable tournament, held in mid-November, was a great success, drawing a dozen teams made up of expat and local players.

Anyone in Saigon eager to play rugby should check out http://www.saigonrfc.com/
Touch rugby takes place every Saturday from 4 to 6p.m. at RMIT University sports ground, 702 Nguyen Van Linh Boulevard, Tan Phong Ward. District 7.

Cam On Singapore!

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/

Largely thanks to Singaporeans' generosity, we are nearing the US$70,000 mark for donations -- almost half way to our goal. Cam on CC Lee and Singapore!

Baseball Star

Thanks to Quang Huy for sending words of encouragement to Thien Nhan and his family, along with this truly inspiring video of a little American boy with one leg playing baseball. The clip is brief and adorable -- really worth checking out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha-UBQ8NDAw

Hot Sellers

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.

Many thanks to our wonderful Protec volunteers Ms. Diem and Mr. Nam for helping to staff the stall, and to Marga, Hilda and Mekong Merchant for organizing such a busy fair and for providing us with free booth space!


Despite being an extremely hot day -- especially for Elke, whose coming baby is due early January -- the fair was a great family event. Bubbafish's soft toys were a hit, and we raised a lot of publicity for Thien Nhan!

[photo left to right: Ms. Diem & Mr. Nam of Protec & Elke & Co Mai of Bubbafish]

A Bad Week for Thien Nhan

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."

As if Thien Nhan hadn't seen enough doctors, on Tuesday and Wednesday he had to go in to the Hanoi French Hospital prosthetic clinic to be fitted for a new leg. A short video clip (link below) reveals just how upset he was, screaming and begging his dad to make the doctors stop applying plaster to his stump in order to create a mold. But of course it's for his own good -- all being well, a month from now he'll receive a new prosthetic. Since he's outgrown his current limb he also had to stop by VietCot to get it extended, which meant more time in a hospital environment -- and more tears!

http://afamily.channelvn.net/20081119104823692tm0ca82/Con-khong-thich-thi-thoi-Video-that-dau-long