Kang Kang, 8, from China, has a rare developmental defect. Due to the fact that he was born with a transverse facial cleft, he is also called a child with two faces. The feeling is that the child is wearing a mask - another face. The transverse cleft of the face is quite rare (1 in 300,000 newborns) and is often accompanied by other birth defects.
The child's mother, Yi Lianxi, revealed that she was 23 years old when her son was born. During pregnancy, she repeatedly underwent ultrasound examinations, but no problems were identified with their help. Doctors who delivered the baby were amazed and even frightened by the sight of the boy - they even refused to show the newborn to the mother. The relatives urged to abandon the child and even "throw him out", but the parents did not agree to this step. The family lives in a remote Chinese village, and after the appearance of such an unusual child, the neighbors began to treat Yi Lianxi with contempt, teasing her and the boy.
The public became aware of the boy with two faces in 2010 when local television filmed a report about the child. The boy's family managed to raise money for several facial reconstruction operations. Doctors need to restore the integrity of most of the bones of the skull and place them where they should be, and in addition, it is necessary to remove excess soft tissue.
The boy underwent the first two of the necessary operations in May and September 2010. They were successful, but more operations will be required in the future, but first, doctors must make sure that the bones of the face are developing and growing normally - this will happen no earlier than in 10 years.