Cover of the book “Il bimbo e le belve” (The child and the beasts) written by Roberto De Castro and William Amighetti.. VNA/VNS Photo
HÀ NỘI — A book about Phùng Thiện Nhân, dubbed the Vietnamese “Steadfast Tin Soldier”, will be released in Italy on July 22.
All proceeds from the book, titled Il Bimbo E Le Belve (The Child and the Beasts), will be donated to the TN&F and Give Me A Hand programmes that sponsor the treatment of Vietnamese children with genital malformations and birth defects.
The book was written by two Italian doctors Roberto De Castro, and William Amighetti. It reflects on their years of carrying out humanitarian missions around Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Syria, and Vietnam.
Over the years, Doctor De Castro has performed pioneering surgical techniques to effectively treat malformations and mutilations of the genitals of boys and girls in these countries to allow them to live full lives. He has also trained local medical workers on these techniques.
Doctor Amighetti, meanwhile, has brought artificial limbs to Vietnamese children with disabilities. VNA/VNS Photo
Doctor Amighetti, meanwhile, has provided artificial limbs to Vietnamese children with disabilities.
One of De Castro’s biggest success stories is Phùng Thiện Nhân, who was abandoned by his biological mother at birth in the central province of Quảng Nam. When Nhân was found three days later, he was barely alive and had lost most of his genitals and one leg due to a brutal attack by wild animals.
Nhân is now a 15-year-old boy. VNA/VNS Photo
The baby infant resiliently survived the incident and was subsequently adopted by Trần Mai Anh, and moved to Hà Nội with his new family. With the support of the Italian surgeon, Thiện Nhân received successful reconstructive surgery in January 2011.
His foster mother, Mai Anh, later became the founder of the Thiện Nhân and Friends programme and, together with the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, the programme raises funds for surgery for poor Vietnamese children suffering from genital defects. VNS
OVietnam