The condition makes him look like he is literally wearing a mask over his face – partly due to the massive cleft that extends almost all the way up to his ears. Kangkang’s mother didn’t see him immediately at birth and broke into tears when she was finally allowed to behold her son following several pleas. The causative factor of this condition is unknown but it is believed to be caused by an infection, or even frequent drug use by the mother. According to one source, the only drugs the mother took while she was pregnant were anti-abortion drugs her doctor prescribed.
Though the treatment is expensive as Yi, Kangkang’s mother discovered after she took him to a hospital in Changsha – capital city of Hunan, in south-central China, the family has been able to gather enough money for his treatment.