A Great Pianist in the Making

"HOW MANY FINGERS AM I HOLDING UP?.... TWELVE!"

Here's your homework for the day. Ask yourself, "What would I do with twelve fingers?"

I had to ask myself that when I was reading this article the other day. In January 2009, in Daly City, CA, Kamani Hubbard was born with not the typical 10 digits on his hands on feet, but instead: twelve. In medicine, we call this condition polydactyly (poly = many + dactyl = toes + y = condition). This type of trait actually runs genetically in the families (for you sticklers on inheritance, in an Autosomal Dominant form, appearing just about in family's generation), or can be a defect as a kid is maturing in his mother's womb. However, usually the extra digit or digits are usually either webbed together (syndactyly) or are non-functional.

BUT THIS CASE IS DIFFERENT... All twelve fingers and toes of Kamani's polydactyly are functional. He can bend them, squeeze them, flex them... do just about anything the other 5 can do.

Whoa. Totally awesome, huh? :D

Now,Imagine how much easier it is to grasp objects, or even play the piano. Imagine the type of control the kid can have over a baseball... He could even be a spokesperson for people across the country with similar conditions... just imagine the possibilities (including how many new pieces of bling he can carry on his fingers now :D). However, things come with their cons, right? Six fingers could literally be the target of bullying and teasing from his fellow classmates... Can he find footwear with a wide enough toe to fit the sixth digit (extra wide-width?)... How about gloves with six fingers for those cold months?

SO... WHAT'S THE GAME PLAN?

Due to the non-functional nature of most polydactylies, most of these situations end up with the removal of the extra digit. However, like I said, all the fingers are functional. If I was the doctor in the situation, I think I'd encourage the parents to keep the fingers. I can just imagine the kid growing up and asking them "Why did you cut off my sixth finger?" I personally would be shocked to hear that I had a sixth functional digit as a gift. And let's say that someone started making fun of me for my extra digit. I think I'd challenge them to a stunt or a task that I could do more efficiently with six. Then, I'd show them who's boss.

I'm getting ahead of myself - I never had six fingers. Here's the point. From my point of view, why rob a kid from a perfectly functional gift... it's literally like returning something that looks promising before even trying it. Give it a chance... like I mentioned above the possibilities are endless. I personally want to follow this kid to see where he goes, and for me, with a good assumption he has strong, encouraging parents, I'm already predicting quite, quite far.

So, back to the question: What would you do with twelve fingers? Your homework's due :D.

Source: KTVU San Francisco