One of De Castro’s biggest success stories is Phung Thien Nhan, who was abandoned by his biological mother at birth in the central province of Quang Nam. When Nhan 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.
The baby infant resiliently survived the incident and was subsequently adopted by Tran Mai Anh, and moved to Hanoi with his new family. With the support of the Italian surgeon, Thien Nhan received successful reconstructive surgery in January 2011.
His foster mother, Mai Anh, later became the founder of the Thien Nhan 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.
All proceeds from the book, titled Il Bimbo E Le Belve (The Child and the Beasts), will be donated to the Thien Nhan and Friends and Give Me A Hand programmes that sponsor the treatment of Vietnamese children with genital malformations and birth defects./.
