Teen born with three webbed fingers becomes classical pianist after Cleveland clinic surgery

 Despite being born with complex congenital differences,
Daisey Yu, 16, now expertly tinkles the ivories

A girl who was born with fingers missing and others fused together has become an award-winning concert pianist after undergoing reconstructive surgery at Cleveland Clinic.

Daisey Yu was born with a form of ectrodactyly, a complex congenital difference, sometimes called ‘cleft hand’, that develops in the womb.

“I honestly don’t think anyone notices my hand at all, unless I point it out to them,” the 16-year-old said.

“Some songs are hard for me to learn because my left hand can be a hindrance sometimes. But my advice is to never give up.”

When she was six months old, Daisey’s mother, Xian Tao, and father, Zhifeng Yu, reached out to specialists at several leading hospitals, but were most heartened by the response they received from William Seitz Jr., M.D., of Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

Dr. Seitz is an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand.

“When he first looked at her, he said, ‘Oh, you know we can easily just close the gap and realign (her fingers),” Xian Tao recalled. “He was very calm and considerate.”

In a series of procedures, Dr. Seitz closed the gap in the cleft in the center of Daisey’s hand and separated the fingers that were webbed together. He also transferred some tendons and muscles to improve movement in the fingers and repositioned the thumb and some flexor tendons. The surgeries were successful, resulted in a highly functional thumb and three fingers.

Dr. Seitz said: “Our goal with these types of stage reconstructions is to get as much as possible done by the time a child is ready for preschool.

“The earlier that we can provide the still-developing brain with an image of an appendage that actually works like a hand, the better it will be able to function.”

Daisey’s hand functionality was so remarkable that her parents asked Dr. Seitz, a few years after the operations, if she could take piano lessons. He enthusiastically agreed it would be a good idea, echoing a conversation he had with the couple before her first operation.

Zhifeng Yu recalled: “I still remember the first talk with him. He basically said Daisey can play piano, she can play other instruments.”

“Dr. Seitz has always been very encouraging.”

Daisey took up the piano at age five and has since earned acclaim – and awards – for her classical performances. She is also coxswain on her school rowing team, a role that involves steering and setting the boat’s pace.

The surgeon says he has not been surprised by the talented teenager’s musical, sporting and academic accomplishments.

“I never doubted that she would be able to do anything she set her mind to,” Dr. Seitz said. “Clearly, she is a brilliant girl with great drive and ambition.”

In fact, one of Daisey’s ambitions is to become a doctor one day.

“I’m interested in medicine because part of my personality is that I like to help people,” she said.

“I’ve thought about being a cardiologist or neurologist. Or maybe an orthopedic surgeon, like Dr. Seitz.”