Chuc mung nam moi!

Chuc mung nam moi! Happy Year of the Tiger!

Thien Nhan and his family enjoyed a happy and relaxing Tet in Hanoi, with the kids spending a lot of time playing with their cousin, watching movies and enjoying family gatherings at Ong & Ba Ngoai's house (maternal grandparents).

This photo shows Little Minh, 4, pushing Thien Nhan, 3, in a stroller, as the pair toured the Museum of Ethnology during their Tet break from preschool.

The kids are now back at school and mum Mai Anh is back at work. The family is also busy planning for Thien Nhan's trip to Singapore in late April, where he will see specialists at National University Hospital. Stay posted for further details!

A Letter from Vietnam's President

Thien Nhan's mum, Mai Anh, received a letter from Vietnam's President commending her for having adopted Thien Nhan, and wishing her family a joyous Lunar New Year. In an official letter, President Nguyen Minh Triet said that Mai Anh is a wonderful example of a Vietnamese mother. Since adopting Thien Nhan three years ago, Mai Anh has worked tirelessly to raise funds for her injured son's care and to find the best medical help possible.

"People sometimes make thoughtless comments and Thien Nhan is now old enough to understand that he is different from other kids," says Mai Anh. "I worry a lot about his future. I am very grateful to those who support and care about him."

Bad News

After months of waiting for the results of complicated tests conducted on Thien Nhan's hormone levels in Houston, Texas, we have news -- and it's not good. The tests showed no sign of working testes, which means that Thien Nhan will require lifelong hormone replacement therapy and be unable to father biological children.

While we're disappointed, we remain convinced that Thien Nhan has a bright future ahead of him. He is a very courageous, smart and determined little boy.

Our next step is to find a pediatric endocrinologist, urologist, psychiatrist, and plastic surgeon with experience in genital repair, ideally based in Singapore. If any of you have leads to doctors in these specialties in Singapore, please email Elka at elkeray@yahoo.com

Thanks and all the best in 2010!

Thien Nhan Calendars

Thien Nhan 2010 Calendars are now on sale! For just VND60,000 you can see Thien Nhan's handsome face all year round!

In Hanoi, go to: 162 Phuong Liet Street, Hanoi or contact Ms Phuong Thao: 3 868 9568

In HCM City contact Ms. Hai Nam: 0169 55 88888

Bubbas for the Holidays

In time for Christmas, Bubbafish soft toys -- 100% of profits go to Thien Nhan -- are now available at OUT-2 Studio, Fafilm Annex, 6 Thai Van Lung Street, D.1, HCM City, and at Breeze, on the corner of Nha Tho & Nha Chung Streets (in front of the cathedral) in Hanoi.

Bubbafish toys were sold at 3 Christmas fairs in HCMC (SSIS, The Deck & BIS) and 1 in Hanoi (Craftlink), raising more than VND25 million for Thien Nhan. Special thanks to Ms. Jessica and the three lovely Filipinna ladies who helped at Bubbafish's BIS booth on Dec. 5th.

Also thanks to SmartKids Preschool in Thao Dien, HCM City, which supported Thien Nhan by buying gifts for their smallest students from Bubbafish.

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

Songs for Thien Nhan

German-Vietnamese singer and songwriter Jazzy Da Lam organized a benefit concert in Munich, Germany in aid of Thien Nhan and poor elderly folks at a care facility in Tuy Hoa, Song Cau, Phu Yen. More than 90 people attended this event, which raised $1,000 for Thien Nhan and $500 for the elderly.

Jazzy Da Lam is the writer of a song about Thien Nhan that won first prize in a national song contest in Vietnam in 2008.

"Dankeschon" to Jazzy and the other musicians who staged this great event, and to all those who attended!

Looking for Legs...

Check out these photos that we were sent! What a little champion! If any of you have information on this little boy's prosthetic limbs, or limbs suitable for small kids with short stumps, please let us know. Thien Nhan has been having a lot of trouble with his prosthetic leg, which is heavy and falls off constantly. We are desperate to find him a better-fitting alternative. Thanks!

There Were Four In The Bed...

Just when Thien Nhan and his two big brothers were all finally free of the flu, their mom, Mai Anh, fainted and hit her head. She ended up in hospital where CAT scans revealed that she'd suffered swelling of the brain. Luckily, with rest, she will recover! The family deserves a "frequent customer discount card" at the local hospital, of the type handed out in coffee shops...

Ordered to rest in bed, where she's hooked up to an IV, Mai Anh has had good company. Check out this adorable picture of the three boys, sleeping like angels!

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.

Houston Zoo

The day before Thien Nhan left Texas, a group of his supporters took him to the Houston Zoo. "Thien Nhan was really excited to see so many animals," said his grandma, Kim Anh. "He had an excellent day."

Having spent three weeks in Houston undergoing medical tests, Thien Nhan, 3, is now in the middle of a 30-plus-hour flight back to Hanoi. "He will arrive tomorrow," said his mom, Mai Anh. "Both of his brothers had the flu but are feeling better now. They are looking forward to seeing him and I know that he will be very happy to be home too."

Waiting for Results

In this photo Thien Nhan, 3, is comforted by his dad as he receives the last in a series of injections that he needed in order to test his hormone levels.

"The shots really hurt. He was so brave but he could not stop crying," reported the toddler's dad, Nghinh. "I felt terrible but there was nothing that anyone could do to help him. He just had to go through it."

Having been in Houston, Texas for the past three weeks, Thien Nhan will fly back to Vietnam tomorrow.

The results of the hormone testing should be available in some days. If the tests indicate that Thien Nhan's undescended testicles are producing testosterone, he will return to Houston for major surgery in early 2010.

"He is very eager to go home," said his dad. "He misses home and especially his big brothers."

Water Fun

While much of Thien Nhan's stay in Houston has been spent in hospital, the tot has managed to have some fun too. Here's a picture of the little guy during an outing to a local water park.

Help in Houston

Many thanks to Kids Without Borders' volunteer Susan for helping to make Thien Nhan's stay in Houston easier and more enjoyable. Susan and her sister have helped the family with transportation, dinners, etc. Yesterday, a friend of Susan's drove Nhan to his doctor's appointment.

Here's a picture of Susan, Thien Nhan and Susan's friend, Vu. Cam on!

To learn more about the Seattle-based volunteer-run Kids Without Borders go to http://www.kidswithnoborders.org/Home.asp

Extended Family

Since Thien Nhan's mom, Mai Anh, had to return to work, she flew back to Hanoi last weekend. Unfortunately, upon arrival she learned that one of her other two sons, Little Minh, 4, was running a fever. "It was a 39-hour trip and Minh's fever was 39 degrees," said Mai Anh. "So I got home and was up all night."

Thien Nhan's dad, Nghinh, then flew from Hanoi to Houston to "take over". Luckily for Thien Nhan his wonderful grandma, the acclaimed poet Kim Anh, will remain in the States for Thien Nhan's entire stay.

On Monday, Thien Nhan had his first appointment with Dr. Karaviti, who is administering a complicated test to determine whether or not the boy's testes are viable. Thien Nhan received his first HCG shot. He will receive two additional shots this Wednesday and Friday and have a blood test on Saturday. The results should be available in one week.

[Photo shows Thien Nhan, in red, drawing with friends and his grandma, Kim Anh]

A Difficult Process

Thien Nhan, 3, is now in Houston, Texas waiting to begin a 2-week-long process to test his hormone levels. "The test is very complicated and uncommon," explains the tot's mom, Mai Anh. "It involves injecting a vaccine that we must get from another state. So the vaccine is from one state, the test is performed in Texas and then the results must be read in another state."

Unfortunately, the injections are painful and must be administered daily for 2 weeks. "This is the only way to know for sure whether or not his testes are producing testosterone," says Mr. Greig Craft, the American philanthropist who arranged Thien Nhan's treatment in Texas. "If they are, he will need major surgery to retrieve them and place them in a reconstructed scrotum. This would happen early next year."

For the last 2 days, Thien Nhan has been complaining of stomach pains and rushing to the potty a lot. "He hasn't eaten anything unusual so I think it's stress," says Mai Anh. "He is homesick and nervous. This is a lot for a 3-year-old to understand. He is tired."

Homesick in Houston

Having been in Houston for more than a week, Thien Nhan is homesick. "Me oi, I want to go home and play with my brothers," Nhan told his mother, Mai Anh, speaking about his brothers Big Minh, 10, and Little Minh, 4.

"All day long he begs me to phone home," says Mai Anh. "He misses home and especially his big brothers."

[Photo shows Thien Nhan (on stool) with his brothers and cousin, back in Hanoi.]

5-Year Plan

After examining Thien Nhan, urologists and plastic surgeons in Texas are optimistic that the reconstruction of a functioning penis can begin in just 5 1/2 years, when Thien Nhan is 9. The reconstruction should be made easier thanks to the fact that a portion of the boy's penis (now tucked under the skin) remains intact.

"Nhan just wants to be like his big brothers and the other boys in his class," says the toddler's mom, Mai Anh. "The older he gets, the harder it will be for him emotionally. We are very happy that these doctors are able to help him."

[Photo: Thien Nhan undergoing a pelvic exam at Texas Children's Hospital while his mom comforts him.]

Anxious for Help

Before Thien Nhan went to bed, his mom, Mai Anh, explained that he'd be going to hospital the next day to meet doctors who would help to fix his "willy".

"The doctor's appointment wasn't until noon but Thien Nhan woke up very early and started asking if it was time to go see the doctor yet," reports Mai Anh. "I felt sad for him but proud of him too. He is so smart and brave for a three-year-old."

To see a brief video of one of Thien Nhan's exam at Texas Children's Hospital, go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqiKFQfi0OQ