In her Lubbock home, 3-year-old Tien Can crawls on the floor amid toys and blankets, occasionally humming excerpted tunes from “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

Today, she is the kind of healthy a 3-year-old should be. However, months ago, she was fighting liver failure, in need of a transplant and unable to crawl, speak or even really live on her own.

“She’s been sick her whole life. She’s been through a lot — a lot, a lot of things,” said Tien’s father, Tung Can.

Tien was admitted to a local hospital in Vietnam 10 days after she was born, her father said. She’d contracted pneumonia, which was treated with antibiotics, but her parents were more concerned with her growing yellowish hue.

“They say maybe (it was) natural; it will go away in a couple weeks,” Tung said. “Unfortunately, it d

See Full Page