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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.
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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 time, 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.