Boy with big toes undergoes surgery

A 14-year-old boy from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region underwent surgery at the Children's Hospital of Shanghai Thursday to correct a congenital foot disorder that left him with several toes the size of apples, the hospital said.

When the boy, Meng Weixin, was first learning to walk, his feet and toes started growing out of control due to the disorder, which affects about one out of every 10,000 children. Although the condition can be corrected, his family was too poor to afford treatment, which left Meng unable to wear shoes.

Meng walked everywhere barefoot, including to school, where a concerned teacher eventually wrote about his problem online.

The boy's story found its way to the Children's Hospital of Shanghai, which has a history of offering charity care to residents from other regions in China.

The hospital offered to perform the 20,000 yuan ($3,210) procedure to fix the boy's feet for free.

Surgeons removed 1.5 kilograms of tissue from the boy's feet, including three toes from his left foot, during the five-hour operation Thursday, said Yang Xiaodong, a senior director at the hospital.

"We finished removing the abnormal tissue on his left foot and shaped it into a normal form," Yang told the Global Times. "But the right foot is larger. We will have to schedule another operation in about half a year to remove the remaining abnormalities."

Meng will be able to walk after he heals from the surgeries. He will also be able to wear shoes, though they will have to be custom made, Yang said.

Last month, the hospital accepted a 2-year-old child suffering from the same condition for treatment.

"The best age for children to receive treatment is between 3 and 4 years old. It was a little late for Meng to receive treatment," Yang said.