Chinese baby born with 31 fingers and toes

Hong Hong's parents plead for funds for his surgery

In a rare incident, a baby in China was born with 15 fingers and 16 toes.

Hong Hong, born on January 15 in Pingjiang County, Hunan province, also has two palms on each hand and no thumbs. The boy's parents are scraping together funds in the hope to get the extra fingers and toes removed surgically -- an operation that could cost as much as $30,000.



The 4-month-old boy suffers from a congenital condition, polydactylism, that can happen in humans, dogs and cats. According to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the condition is affecting about one in every 1,000 live births. The extra digits can be removed through surgery.

The mother shows her son’s hands. He has 15 fingers, two palms on each hand and no thumbs. PHOTO: CNN

The condition is usually passed down in families, which is the case for Hong Hong as his mother has the same condition -- she has six fingers and toes. While she was pregnant with Hong Hong, both parents were worried their child would inherit the condition and that is what happened.



Hong Hong’s parents, who are unable to pay the expensive cost of the procedure, are relying on crowd-funding to raise enough money for him. The couple has been able to raise more than $6,000 through online donations, but for now have decided to halt the crowd-funding efforts because of the mixed comments they have received about raising money online, Hong Hong’s father told the CNN.



At the moment, Hong Hong is too young to undergo surgery, said the infant's father, Zou Chenglin. However, in the meantime his parents are seeking medical advice on how to treat their son.

Currently, the family plans to head back to the city of Shenzhen, where they live, so that the father can go back to work.

This article originally appeared on CNN.