Thursday, August 30, 2007

New York newborn has 12 fingers and 12 toes

Something was different about newborn Jeshuah Fuller, but his proud parents couldn't quite put their finger on it.

Then his doctors, always on their toes, figured it out: Jeshuah was born with a few extra digits - six fingers on each hand, six toes on each foot.

Jeshuah Fuller

Jeshuah, born in Brooklyn on Tuesday, is healthy and weighs just over 7 pounds. His rare condition, called polydactylism, is usually genetic. His dad was born with an extra finger on his left hand.

Jeshuah's mom, Quana Morris, said she'd had an ultrasound image taken during her pregnancy and knew he'd have extra fingers.

Jeshuah Fuller

The extra toes, though, were a surprise.

Jeshuah is getting a hand from his doctors to deal with the bonus digits, which are outside the pinkies and little toes and serve no purpose. He'll have them surgically removed in a couple of weeks, his mom said.

There's an audio slideshow here.

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