VietNamNet Bridge - Readers of Timeout will remember the incredible story of Phung Thien Nhan, who after being abandoned at birth was attacked by an animal (most likely a dog) and lost his right leg, penis and testicles.

Thanks to the ceaseless efforts of his adoptive mother, Tran Mai Anh, and her friends as well as the kind sponsorship of others, last month Thien Nhan travelled to the US where he underwent surgery to help begin reconstructing his genitals.

The urethral dilation surgery was performed on August 21 by doctors at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Centre in New Hampshire. Dr. Herz, the urologist who performed the procedure, reported that everything went well and on August 23 when Thien Nhan woke up he also seemed quite pleased with himself. “He is enjoying peeing and wants to show me all the time!” said Mai Anh.

Previously, Thien Nhan could not feel when he wanted to make water, but “now he knows when he has to go to the toilet. It is a turning point in his life”. Following a very successful and speedy recovery from his urethral dilation, Thien Nhan and his family drove to Boston, where they attended a medical conference and met some of the surgeons who might be involved in the future genital reconstruction process.

Dr. Joe Rosen presented Thien Nhan’s case to conference attendees, while Greig Craft met with many doctors in a bid to rally support. On Sunday, the family flew on to Chicago, where Thien Nhan will meet prosthetic specialists. As ever at Timeout we wish Thien Nhan all the best and urge our readers who would like to help or follow Thien Nhan’s recovery to check out his blog help-thien-nhan.blogspot.com.

(Source: Time-out)