Meet Hong Hong. He's almost 4 months
old, lives in China and has 31 fingers and toes.
That's not a typo. The boy was born
in January with 15 fingers and 16 toes in Pingjiang County in Hunan province.
He also has two palms on each hand and no thumbs.
Doctors
diagnosed Hong Hong with polydactylism, a congenital condition that happens in
humans, dogs and cats, giving them extra fingers and toes. Polydactyly is a
pretty common condition, affecting about one in every 1,000 live births, according to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Often, the
extra digits are removed surgically. Hong Hong's parents are trying to raise
enough money so their son can undergo the life-changing operation.
The condition is usually passed down
in families, which is the case for Hong Hong.
The boy's mother also has
polydactylism, with six fingers and toes. While she was pregnant with Hong
Hong, both parents were worried their child would inherit the condition.
Right now Hong Hong is too young to
undergo surgery, the infant's father, Zou Chenglin, told CNN. In the meantime,
his parents are seeking medical advice on how to treat their son.
The mother shows her son's hands. He
has 15 fingers, two palms on each hand and no thumbs.
Doctors have given the family
differing advice, with some saying the surgery is much more complicated than
originally thought because Hong Hong requires not only the removal of his extra
fingers and toes but also needs reconstructed thumbs. Opposable thumbs are
essential because they give people the ability to grasp objects.
The surgery could cost as much as
200,000 Chinese yuan (about $30,000), the boy's father said. The couple
has turned to the Internet for help, and so far they've raised more than 40,000
yuan (more than $6,000) through online donations.
But they've decided to halt the crowd
funding efforts because of the mixed comments they've received about raising
money online, the father said.
For now, the family plans to head
back to the city of Shenzhen, where they live, so that the father can go back
to work.
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