Man born with 9 toes thought to have 'lucky' sign

The 21-year-old Ajun has lived with nine toes on the foot. His parents did not allow the operation, because they believed that such an anomaly is a gift of heaven and bring him good luck, FoxNews reported.

Having an extra toe or toes is called polydactyly. There are three different types of polydactyly, depending on where the extra fingers are located. Generally, children with this disease receive treatment in early childhood through surgery.

“It’s very rare to see such a serious deformity having not been treated in a 21-year-old patient,” Dr. Wu Xiang, of Shunde Heping Surgical Hospital, where Ajun recently sought help, told AsiaWire. “Other hospitals would’ve just removed his outermost extra toes. That would’ve been the easiest solution, but it wouldn’t look best.”

Xiang and his team decided to create a new big toe, rather than cutting off the extra toes so that Ajuna’s leg would look normal. It took the surgeon nine hours to complete the surgery, which Ajun considers ideal

“Surgery can happen as early as 1 year old, but no later than 6 years old,” Xiang told AsiaWire. “Basically anytime before they start school is fine. This is better for the child’s psychological well-being, but earlier operations also lead to better recovery results.”

Photo: AsiaWire