A Chinese couple have made a public appeal for financial and medical assistance after their baby son was born with fifteen fingers and sixteen toes.
The infant suffers from an extreme case of polydactyly, a condition in which a person has more than five fingers per hand or five toes per foot.
During normal embryonic development, the hand initially forms in the shape of a paddle, and then—at about seven weeks gestation—splits into separate fingers. Polydactyly occurs if there’s an irregularity in this process.
While polydactyly is one of the most common developmental abnormalities, baby Honhong’s case is considerably more complicated. He has no thumbs, eight toes on each foot, seven fingers on one hand and eight on the other, as well as two palms on each hand.
The child’s father Zou Chenglin said his wife also has polydactylism, but their ultrasounds gave no inkling of the challenges their baby boy would be facing. He told News.com.au:
“My wife has one extra finger and toe on each of her hands and feet, so we were worried that our child would inherit the condition. But after going to three big hospitals in Shenzhen, doctors found no birth defects on our son during scans.”
The family are hoping to find an experienced specialist willing to take on the surgery, which doctors at their local hospital in Pingjiang County of China’s central Hunan Province say will be intricate and difficult.
They will also need to raise up to €86,000 to cover the complicated operation.
Images: People’s Daily Online/ CEN
