We're supposed to wish for a healthy child with 10 working fingers and 10 working toes. But a family in San Francisco got something even better: A healthy child with 12 working fingers and 12 more working toes.
Kamani Hubbard was born a few weeks ago with polydactyly, a condition that means he's got some extra digits. And according to this story on www.ktvu.com, no one even noticed right away. That's a good thing, since it means the kid can reap all the benefits of having extra fingers and toes without blatantly looking like a freak show.
And just what would those benefits be?
For starters, he's going to kick everyone's butt at Guitar Hero! No, seriously, a doctor at St. Luke's, where Kamani was born, marvels at the potential skills the child could develop, including being a skilled pianist or guitarist. Other things he could be particularly good at:
-- Pitching, since having those extra fingers could help to put some added spin on the ball. (Worth noting: Antonio Alfonseca, a pitcher for the Florida Marlins, also has polydactyly.)
--Typing. And, on a related note, possibly texting.
--Remembering things -- extras fingers and toes mean more places on which to tie reminder-strings! You know, assuming that anyone still does that, as opposed to just sending themselves an e-mail alert.
--Massage therapist: More fingers = extra capacity to knead sore muscles.
--Cheating at math: He can take adding with his hands and feet to a whole other level.
--Inventing new obscene gestures: With six fingers to work with, there is no telling how many ways he can potentially flip people off.
No matter what the little guy decides to do or become, the important thing is that he's healthy. I would advise his parents to start babyproofing ASAP, if they haven't already. The odds that he could stick his finger into an open socket? Seems like they might be a bit higher than the average.
Image: Midwestrocklobster.com
