The fairy tale of Thien Nhan after 13 years of genital surgery

TTO - 13 years after the genital surgery for Thien Nhan baby due to being bitten by a wild animal (2006), Thien Nhan is now preparing for a more complicated and expensive surgery.

But in misfortune there is the luck of human love. Over the past 13 years, not only working hard to find miracles  doctors for children, the "Ten Nhan and Friends" Foundation (TN&F) founded by adoptive mother Tran Mai Anh and her associates has truly become a inspirational journey.

Youth dialogues with that mother about the difficult journey filled with love.

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* How is Thien Nhan's baby now, ma'am?
-  Ms. Tran Mai Anh:   Thien Nhan is no longer a baby today, next school year will be in 8th grade. Nhan is healthy even though the treatment journey is still long ahead. Being called the "Golden Arrow" by you, no one can keep up even though he has to use crutches.

Naughty but full of affection, especially with his mother. Meeting strangers, Nhan is cold, silent but ready to go, ready to do anything to help TN&F... Thien Nhan is still as lovely as the first day.

Previously, I was a mother of two sons (Thien Minh, Hai Minh), but with Thien Nhan, I still had to practice being a mother again. Being Nhan's mother is more difficult than taking Nhan around the world to find a way to heal the hurt.

TN&F family in the 13th surgery at Children's Hospital 2, Ho Chi Minh City

* Has Nhan's treatment completed or not?

- Not yet. Not only Nhan, but every pediatric patient with genital reconstruction has to undergo many microsurgery. The latest news is that we are preparing the next major surgery for Nhan in November 2019.

Along with the development of the baby's body, this time the doctors plan to connect the sensory nerves that have been trying to regenerate for many years  the stump of the amputated cord.

The requirements of the surgery are quite high and complicated, the operating room conditions in Vietnam have not been met, will have to go to the US to perform. As a result, the cost has increased many times, causing the whole TN&F family to be stressed.

Mai Anh and 3 children

Four mother and son

* I think many people still wonder why it took so long to treat Thien Nhan?

- Nhan and I have no wish more than that the baby gets well and the treatment ends. During the long journey of surgery after surgery that my son and I have been going since he was 1 year old, only one time Nhan cried and sobbed: "Mom, it's been too long!". She didn't say "too painful" but "too long" which made a mother like me break my gut, the feeling that the journey has no end is more frustrating than painful.

Thien Nhan had to undergo 9 surgeries. Your baby's genitals have been rebuilt, and have been able to function as basic as urinating, but other sensations have not.

I have not had surgery for three years now, partly to maintain strength, partly to nourish nerves and cavernous bodies, and partly because of force majeure. The reconstructive procedure required taking part of the muscle tissue and tendons in the calf, but the baby only had one leg so I and the doctors couldn't take the risk. At that moment I almost despaired.

We had to wait, and now the doctor has found an opportunity to replace it with a piece of wrist muscle tissue... We are waiting for the results of the clinical examination and final consultation  the doctors. America to come to a decision.

Mai Anh and the children in the TN&F . program

During the long journey of surgery after surgery that my son and I have gone since he was 1 year old, Nhan only once cried sobbing: "Mom, it's been too long!". She didn't say "too much pain" but "too long" which made a mother like me break my gut.

Tran Mai Anh

Children's Day

* In the past 13 years, all of your stories seem to revolve around Thien Nhan and TN&F?
- Yes, stories about Cause and Effect are endless, like this one: One winter evening, my children and I sat down to make cards, preparing for a fundraiser. I'm tired, sleepy, and so are the kids.

Wanting to be happy, I thought of an encouraging sentence: "Fortunately, children, it's cold like this, I can stay at home. There are many people out there who have to endure the cold to work and earn a living." Thien Minh and Hai Minh smiled, but Thien Nhan did not forgive her mother's upbringing: "Well, I don't need to talk about rich and poor. I just need to say: Children, try to hurry up. and then go to sleep..."

Being a Thien Nhan mother is so difficult. He always looks very frank about the nature of the problem, that's why I always feel secure with him. Cau Nhan whispered to his mother after surgery at the age of 4: "When I grow up, I will take care of you" has now been replaced with "I will take care of you". Before going to school, Nhan always turns his head and says, "If there's something, I remember to call you", then my bodyguard rushed away.

Hoang Na Huong - Tran Mai Anh, two mothers of Thien Nhan and Friends program Những

* To this day, how many boys and girls have called you Mom?

- All pediatric patients are operated by TN&F, including adult patients. The TN&F Foundation also sponsors a number of cases, so that the children get the best care and development.

We have a "Children's Day" for the children to meet, bond with each other, also an opportunity to think together more things to do, to do for the fund. That day was Thien Nhan's birthday (July 15).

We are a family

* There is a strange thing that has maintained for nearly 10 years, with 14 visits and surgeries for thousands of children, but the TN&F program has not really organized any fundraising activities?
- If we consider the program organized by ourselves, it is correct, although medical examination and surgery activities are of course very expensive and need a lot of money. Every meeting, we are always struggling around the issue of funding, but to speak out, everyone is afraid.

First of all, on the side of the pediatric patient: their defect is not being able to express it directly, their last need is just to be able to quietly return to a normal life. On our side: the desire to help a child, first of all, his own child, to compensate for the loss and deficiency of the body, stemming  his own will, his feelings...

Then why call others? Everyone's life is already hard, should they add their own problems? Thinking that, we have never stood up to call for ourselves.

We have been raising funds by building love. On the program's fanpage, the patient did not appear with defects or injuries, but appeared as a lovely child. I believe that when you love someone, you will want the best and most beautiful things for them.

Three brothers: Thien Minh - Hai Minh - Thien Nhan

* And so there are people who do it for you?

- Actually answer that right. Those who follow the journey of TN&F do not only love Thien Nhan. They have replaced me to organize programs that spread beauty and love, fundraising is still the last act:

- "Draw a fairy" organization for young artists to paint, auction and contribute to TN&F Fund, has been maintained for the fourth year;

- Live to love fund - Live to love organizes music concerts and auctions;

- The program "Look at the world - See the world" organizes symphony music projects, children's choirs;

- The program "I have a dream - I have a dream" organizes a children's ballet program;

- The program "Ticket to childhood" contributes on each ticket to see art...
Every time a new program starts, I'm excited to come and be pulled into a new story, a beautiful new world of friends, sometimes meeting for the first time. Love spreads like that.

* Along the journey, I know there are not only sparkling colors, more than fatigue, heartache and discouragement. At those times, what will lift you up?

- In addition to the encouragement of the whole TN&F family, because we all have truly become a family, I also know how to find my own sweetness. For example, I open the list of supporters. It is not very long, and the money is not large, but hidden in it is a lot of comfort, encouragement, and even unknown relatives.

There is a simple message line but repeated monthly and yearly, bringing warmth beyond the donation amount, beyond the dry meaning of the words. Seeing that familiar line of characters like a password, I rest assured: that person (who is not known) is fine.
There are also parents who send their support with their children's names, names that start with the word "baby", carry all good expectations, sweet as a drop of honey. There are also transfer messages in addition to wishing the children a private message "Mai Anh drink milk to be healthy"...

My family and myself have experienced many events, including many health disasters, TN&F has allowed me to witness thousands of other unfortunate fates. Therefore, the messages that my loved ones are fine, still healthy, still loving me is what I look forward to the most.

Thien Nhan and Friends
The program Thien Nhan and Friends (TN&F) organizes genital reconstruction surgery for unfortunate children with defects due to birth or accident, was started with the story of Thien Nhan - the boy who was disabled. abandoned in the forest when he was born, was eaten by wild animals and lost his genitals and a leg.

From the experience of treating Thien Nhan, Tran Mai Anh (Thien Nhan's adoptive mother), Mr. Greig Craft (American philanthropist) and Doctor Roberto De Castro set up a program to treat other children. TN&F gathers dozens of urology and pediatric doctors  around the world to volunteer to participate. The program is carried out at hospitals: National Children's Hospital, Medical University, Vinmec, Viet Duc, Pediatrics and Obstetricians in Da Nang, Children 2 in Ho Chi Minh City.

From August 2011 up to now, TN&F has organized 13 sessions, examined and consulted 1,500 cases, operated 410 cases, organized three workshops to exchange experiences in the field of urology, genital reconstruction... - The 14th surgery will be continued in November 2019 in Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City.

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■ An email: "Hello Mai Anh, I'm in Saigon, have been following you and Thien Nhan for more than seven years, since I was a student. Looking at you, I'm motivated and secretly promise to do something to help me. Now, after eight years of incubation, I am confident enough. I will run a program called "Seeding season" at my bookstore, auction books to raise funds, all the money will go to TN&F ...".

■ A letter  a child: "Mom! I remember what you told me to always think of those less fortunate than me, so I joined my friends to contribute money to buy origami paper. We took advantage of our lunch break to sit down and fold. cranes, hearts, roses, darts... At recess, we ran around the school to encourage friends to buy support, each product was 2,000-5,000 VND. Two months, we earned 384,000 VND in profit. , please send it to the Thien Nhan Fund...".