Story By: Sibel Abdiu, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig ,Agency:Central European News

Picture Credit: CEN

A nine-year-old boy born with 12 fingers and 12 toes says his biggest problem is finding shoes and gloves to fit.

Demirhan Demirbilek, from the city of Ceyhan in southern Turkey’s Adana province, says the problem in finding footwear in particular means he cannot play football with his friends, which makes him especially sad.

He also struggles to hold a pen properly to write – but both he and his mum want him to keep his extra digits.

Demirhan said: “My friends make fun of me at school. They bully me but I don’t care, I am different.

“When I write and when I play football I have difficulties. I can’t put on my shoes but I don’t want to remove my extra toes.”

His mother, Isik, said she had never considered having Demirham’s extra fingers and toes surgically removed because they are healthy.

She said the biggest problem the family faced was finding shoes. She had bought seven or eight pairs but none really fitted him properly.

Isik said: “We need to get special shoes made for him but I don’t work and I just can’t afford it.

“I’ve bought home many shoes but they all rub his feet. But despite this problem, I have never considered removing his extra toes.”

However, she added that, despite Demirhan’s difficulties in using a pen, he performed well in intelligence tests and she hoped he would be admitted into a better school to achieve his ambition of becoming a scientist when he grows up.

Demirhan has a condition called polydactyly, a congenital physical anomaly which can resulting in extra fingers and toes.