Wanna Hear A Cool Story About A Kid Just Born In My Hospital?

[THUNDER HANDS]

I think I told you all of a 400g (13 oz) kid who was born in my hospital last month.

Just for a quick update, he's still doing okay and is still the smallest baby ever born in NY who's still alive.

Now for the really weird stuff.

We had a kid in this week with Pallister Hall.

No, that's not a place - it's a very very very rare genetic disorder.

How rare, you ask?

Well, including him, there are 21 people in the world with this disorder.

What is Pallistar Hall exactly?

Well, it's a chromosomal anomoly that gave this kid special super powers!

Alright, not really - the kid was just born with six fully-functioning fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He was also born with a forked tongue like a snake- which, altogether, makes for one really wild-looking kid.

He has some other issues too, but I don't want to bore you with medical jargon.

Suffice to say, the kid is going to be a hit at show-and-tell when he goes to school. The parents don't plan on having surgery, so the kid is going to keep all 24 of his digits. They're doing this because in most cases with Pallister Hall, the extra digits are usually nothing more than pieces of skin that look like extra fingers or toes.

But this kid can actually MOVE his extra fingers. He has bones and tendons and everything.


How cool is that?

[SlavesandBulldozers]

1. cruel parents

I'm sure his kindergarten class will find it "cool" too. I'm all about tolerance, but you see - grade schoolers aren't. This kid's going to have a rough time.

[THUNDER HANDS]

4. I can see that going both ways

I bet some kids will pick on him. But if they didn't pick on him for that they'd find something else to pick on him for.

But I also think some kids will think it's really really neat to have six fingers. And this kid's hands aren't deformed - they look like normal hands with just an extra pinkie on them. :D

[AlienGirl]

12. I disagree

Kids may pick on him, but I don't think that any child should have functional parts removed just so kids don't pick on him. Would it also be appropriate to give short kids growth hormone so they won't be called "shorty"?

Besides, he might *not* get picked on. My sons both have an unusual muscle disorder that affects their movement, and they are among the more popular kids in their classes--there's no way to know whether any individual will be picked on.

People have advised me to have my own Famous Third Tit removed for cosmetic reasons, and it always irritates me that anyone would find it good to surgically alter someone just so they'll be average.

Tucker

[THUNDER HANDS]

15. you got a 3rd boob?

So you were that woman in Total Recall!

I thought I recognized your photo. :D

[AlienGirl]

20. Not quite Total Recallesque

It isn't in the middle, unfortunately...

Tucker

[regnaD kciN]

23. Omigod...

...you're Chandler Bing?

;-)

[ET Awful]

17. What I want to know is . . . .

How is the kid going to flip anyone off with no middle finger?

[On the Road]

2. He Should Learn the Piano

He can write pieces for pianists with six fingers, like in Gattaca.

[Cheswick2.0]

3. he would be a hell of a string player too

Guitar or violin

[HEyHEY]

5. If he doesn't learn piano he is nuts

or the accordian

But he will need to learn how to compose to be a true genuis

[kayell]

6. Are they going to do plastic surgery on his tongue?

I can see where 6 fingers might not be a big deal, and removing the extra might even cause problems, but the tongue will probably freak people out in ways that could lead to trouble.

[TrogL]

16. Taking/singing is going to be a problem

Is there a cleft palate?

[thom1102]

7. What do you do in the Hospital, Magic?

[HEyHEY]

8. Steals medical supplies for re-sale on the black market

[THUNDER HANDS]

13. I study the premies

Chart them and track their diagnoses and what the doctors do to them.

Eventually, all my stuff gets sent to the Dept. of Health and the hospital neonatal unit gets evaluated.

[Exultant Democracy]

9. I want two more arms, like Goro in Mortal Kombat

[Shakespeare]

10. egads--is the number "666" on his forehead?

sorry...couldn't resist....it IS kinda creepy...

[RebelOne]

11. Totally mind-blowing. What are they going to do about his forked tongue?

[THUNDER HANDS]

14. that he's going to see the surgical people

I don't think he'll be keeping the tongue the way it is. :D

[Coventina]

22. I could see a forked tongue being an advantage.

:evilgrin:

[UrbScotty]

18. I hope he grows up to give Republicans the finger!

LOL!

Okay, bad one.

[GregW]

19. Buying gloves will be a bitch!

:eyes:

[TrogL]

21. I wonder how many people he is

No, that's not as crazy as it sounds.

There was an article a few weeks ago (I have no idea where) about a woman who found out she was genetically un-related to her kids. She was born two people. Most of her was one person, but some of her guts were another person.

It's very common in cats.

I wonder if the extra fingers belong to another person.