Honghong, a three-month-old infant from Hubei prefecture, was born with 15 digits and 16 toes. Each of his hands consists of two palms but lacks a thumb.
YUEYANG, CHINA – MAY 01: (CHINA OUT) Mother shows 3-month-old baby boy’s feet with 16 toes at Zhongping village on May 1, 2016 in Pingjiang County, Yueyang City, Hunan Province of China. Hong Hong was a 3-month-old baby boy who was born with 15 fingers and 16 toes. He had two palms on each hand with 7 fingers on right hand and 8 fingers on left hand. He also had 8 toes on each foot. Hong Hong’s mother had 6 fingers on each of her hand and 6 toes on each of her foot. Doctor of Hunan Province People’s Hospital told Hong’s father that his son had better take an operation since six month old to 1 year old. ©Exclusivepix media
Doctors at a local hospital informed the parents of Honghong that surgical treatment for his condition would be exceedingly difficult, so they are now actively pursuing treatment options.
People’s Daily reports that Honghong has polydactyly, a condition in which a child is born with additional digits or toes, which occurs in approximately 1 in 1,000 births. However, Honghong’s 11 extra digits are an extremely uncommon occurrence.
Honghong’s mother also has both hand and foot polydactyly. During her pregnancy in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, she underwent multiple check-ups and ultrasounds out of concern for the health of her unborn child. She visited Phudiyan Maternity Hospital for a 4D ultrasound when she was nearly 5 months expectant, but the physicians assured her that the baby did not have any birth defects.
The couple was horrified to discover that Honghong’s condition was even more severe than his mother’s. Each of Honghong’s feet has eight digits, while his hands each have eight and seven fingertips. Zou Chenglin was informed by Liu Hong, a professor in the Department of Pediatric Orthopedics at Hubei Provincial People’s Hospital, that the surgical procedure would be difficult. Honghong is too immature to undergo anesthesia at this ᴛι̇ɱe, but he will require surgery between 6 months and 1 year of age before his bones fuse.
The surgical procedures, which cost hundreds of thousands of Chinese yuan, are an immense financial burden for Zou and his wife due to their impoverished economic circumstances. Currently, the couple is exerting every effort to discover methods to pay for their child’s treatment.