Boy attacked by wild animals to undergo surgery in US

Boy attacked by wild animals to undergo surgery in US

Two-year-old Phung Thien Nhan, whose right leg and groin were disfigured by wild animals, will fly to the US for reconstructive surgery.

People from around the world have pledged to donate US$50,000 to help pay for the boy’s medical treatment which will include surgery, prosthetics and aftercare. Nhan’s adoptive mother, Tran Mai Anh said the total cost of treatment could reach as high as $120,000. Dubbed the “miracle boy,” Nhan’s story led to an outpouring of public sympathy when it was discovered his teenage mother had left him to die in the forest after giving birth in a small town in central Vietnam. Nhan was discovered 72 hours later, his body covered in blood after being severely attacked by wild animals. The boy was rushed to a hospital where doctors managed to save his life. Last March, Nhan was adopted by a journalist couple from Hanoi, Mai Anh and her husband Phung Quang Nghinh. Earlier this year, Anh and another Canadian journalist started a website: www.help-thien-nhan.blogspot.com to call for donations to help treat the boy. Greig Craft, president of the Hanoi-based Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, who will help organize Nhan’s upcoming trip to the US, told Thanh Nien Daily that many Vietnamese-American communities in Seattle, Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles were ready to welcome the boy. “This is a community-wide effort from many individuals in many different countries who have made this happen,” Craft said. Anh said her next step will be to set up a trust fund for her son to help pay for further medical treatment needed to restore his health. Nhan will undergo surgery at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Hospital in New Hampshire and Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. Nguyen Thi Ut and one of her blind children in their home. Reported by Vinh Bao

Story from Thanh Nien News Published: 18 August, 2008, 11:57:10 (GMT+7) Copyright Thanh Nien News