Advertisement

Miracle Baby Baffles Doctors After Being Born With 12 Fingers And 12 Toes

Battling youngster Jacob Duffy has a series of birth defects, including an extra digit on each limb

Little Jacob is a happy child despite his birth defects, his parents say. (Caters)
Little Jacob is a happy child despite his birth defects, his parents say. (Caters)


Miracle baby Jacob Duffy has baffled doctors - after being born with 12 fingers and 12 toes.

The battling youngster has an undiagnosed complex syndrome which has left him with a number of defects, including a hole in the heart and eye conditions.

And his stunned parents also discovered baby Jacob has an extra digit on each of his four limbs.

Jacob also suffers from coloboma, nystagmus and microphthalmia as well as cataracts, leaving him severely sight impaired.

Jacob's extra digits have baffled doctors. (Caters)
Jacob's extra digits have baffled doctors. (Caters)


One-in-10,000 condition coloboma causes gaps in the structure of the eye and poorly Jacob suffers from it at every layer in both eyes.

Microphthalmia has left him with one eyeball smaller than the other while he also has nystagmus which causes his eyes to twitch.

Doctors expect the small patent foramen ovale hole in his heart to heal before his first birthday and are reluctant to put him under anaesthetic before then to put him under the knife to remove them.

As well as his extra fingers, Jacob's thumbs are triphalangeal which gives them an extra joint, and he also has a dairy milk allergy and a problem with swallowing and requires a thickened feed.

There were no signs that there was anything wrong with seven-month-old Jacob Duffy before he was born in November last year.

Mum Rachel Hendry, 24, said: 'We were shocked when he was born and saw his little finger - at first we just thought that he had broken it.

Brave Jacob is now seve months old. (Caters)
Brave Jacob is now seve months old. (Caters)


'My pregnancy was completely normal then we counted the digits and that was the first time we noticed something was wrong.

'We joked around a bit at first and said that at least he will be good on the piano but obviously we quickly realised that things were a bit more serious.

'They don't want to remove his extra digits until he is 12 months old because they don't want to put him under anaesthetic but one toe is really loose and could affect his walking.

'I quite like the extra fingers and I don't really want the surgeons to chop them off but kids are quite cruel and I could hardly send him to school with them.'

His eyesight woes inspired parents bank assistant Rachael and drainage company worker John to raise cash for a sensory room to aid his development.

The pair have already drummed up £1,000 in just six weeks of campaigning with proceeds also going towards the Hawthorn Family Support Centre in Leeds where Jacob visits every week.

Baby Jacob with mum Rachel, 24. (Caters)
Baby Jacob with mum Rachel, 24. (Caters)


Jacob has already spent most of his short life in doctor's surgeries but mum Rachael insists it does not faze the brave boy.

Rachael said: 'He's doing really well now and the focus is on how he develops like any other baby.

'Doctors are keeping a keen eye on him and we're waiting on test results to see exactly what condition he has.

'He has so many defects that it can't just be coincidence.

'He's spent a lot of time at the doctor's - and at first he used to cry a lot - but he's got used to it now - you just get on with it, don't you?'

Donations to pay for Jacob's sensory room can be made at https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/9yxE8/ab/d4lY2b and www.facebook.com/JacobsColoboma.