26-digit toddler reaches for record

A MOTHER in Burma says her baby girl’s 12 fingers and 14 toes have been no disadvantage — and she’s now grasping for a Guinness World Record.

Phyo Min Min Soe, 26, knew her daughter Le Yati Min had a little something extra since nearly the moment she was born.

“I asked the nurses whether my kid was born complete with hands and legs,” said her mother. “They replied the baby even has more than she needs.”

Born with 12 fingers and 14 toes, Le may be the most “digitally enhanced” person in the world. The 16-month-old’s family who live on the outskirts of Rangoon, are seeking a Guinness World Record to prove it.

A neighbour is helping her mother apply to claim the record, hearing a boy from India holds bragging rights for the most digits, with 12 fingers and 13 toes.

Polydactylism — being born with an extra finger or toe — is fairly unusual, but it is even more rare for someone to have spare functional digits on both hands and feet as Le does.

Her mother said she would be happy to see Le gain a world record, but her daughter still had a happy life, and even some natural advantages.

“She seems to have a stronger grip on things — so she doesn’t drop things much,” she said, as Le played nearby.

According to the Guinness World Records website, the record for most fingers and toes is held by two people in India, who have 12 fingers and 13 toes each. Dr Craig Camasta, a surgeon in Atlanta, Georgia, said many parents chose to have an operation to get rid of the extra fingers or toes to avoid social stigma, but “it’s not necessary the extra digits be removed”.