Arpan Saxena (2008)

Arpan Saxena (2008) is a famous child from Bhopal, India, suffering from two rare genetic disorders called Polydactyl, a disorder that gives rise to excess digits being formed, and Syndactyly, which leads to fingers and toes being fused together. Arpan, who has 13 fingers and 12 toes, enjoys celebrity status in Bhopal, with his picture plastered on city walls. He loves it when people come to see him and take photos. But the only thing Arpan doesn't like is that he can't walk a lot because his feet never fit in any shoes. His father, Anil Saxena, 35, a rickshaw puller, confirmed the toddler was originally born with 26 digits. He said that when he was born his family were surprised to see that he had 26 fingers and toes. Arpan's family had never ever heard of anyone being born with so many fingers. Following an accident, Arpan lost a finger when he was just two years old. He was out playing when he injured one of his fingers and it just sort of came off his father says. Arpan's mother, Tanu, 30, said they wouldn't be getting Arpan an operation, even though a lot of people have offered help. She said it's every parents dream to be known for their children. Arpan is famous all over Bhopal and his family like it that way, and Tanu is apprehensive about how an operation might affect him at this age. His father survived the Bhopal disaster - a huge industrial accident at a pesticide plant in 1984. Campaigners say at least 15,000 were killed within days and that the effects of the gas continue to this day. They also say Bhopal has an unusually high incidence of children with birth defects, as well as cancers and other chronic illnesses. Arpan does not hold a world record for most number of fingers and toes. The current world record is held by fellow Indian, Akshat Saxena, a two-year-old boy who was born with 34 fingers and toes.