If your child was just diagnosed, this page is for them — and for you. Poland anomaly has not stopped the people listed here from competing at the highest levels of their sports, building creative careers, or becoming voices for others. It is not a ceiling. It is a detail.
Hailey Dawson
Advocate & Record Holder
Born in 2010 in Henderson, Nevada, Hailey is missing her right pectoral muscle and three fingers on her right hand due to Poland anomaly. At age 5, engineers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas built her a custom 3D-printed robotic hand. In 2018 she became the first person in history to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums — including Game 4 of the 2017 World Series. For each stadium, UNLV printed her a new hand decorated in that team's colors. Her Orioles-themed hand, signed by 13 players, is now in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. She did all of this before turning 9.
Poland anomaly presentation: missing right pectoral muscle, three fingers missing/underdeveloped on right hand
Fernando Alonso
Formula One
Two-time Formula One World Champion (2005, 2006), widely considered one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport. Alonso is missing his right pectoral muscle due to Poland anomaly — a condition that places no limits on the cardiovascular fitness, reflexes, and mental precision that Formula One demands. He has competed across four decades of professional racing and continues to race in F1 as of 2025.
Poland anomaly presentation: absent right pectoral muscle
Bryce Molder
Professional Golf
PGA Tour golfer and winner on tour, Molder was born without his left pectoral muscle and with a smaller left hand. He underwent several surgeries in childhood to repair syndactyly on his left hand. He went on to play collegiate golf at Georgia Tech and earn his PGA Tour card — competing professionally at the highest level of a sport that demands precision from both hands on every swing.
Poland anomaly presentation: absent left pectoral muscle, small left hand, childhood syndactyly repairs
Ted Danson
Actor
Best known for playing Sam Malone in Cheers — one of the most beloved sitcoms in television history — Ted Danson disclosed his Poland anomaly publicly in 2000, sharing that he was bullied as a child because of the condition. He went on to a career spanning five decades, multiple Emmy Awards, and roles in Becker, Damages, Fargo, and The Good Place. He is proof that what kids say on a playground is not a forecast.
Poland anomaly presentation: chest asymmetry (specific details not publicly disclosed)
Jérôme Thomas
Olympic Boxing
French Olympic boxer and silver and bronze medalist, Thomas was born with Poland anomaly affecting his left side — his left arm and hand are significantly shorter and smaller than his right, and he lacks a left pectoral muscle. He competed at the Olympic Games in a sport that depends entirely on upper body power, speed, and the precise use of both hands. He is among the most striking examples of elite athletic performance in the presence of significant upper limb difference.
Poland anomaly presentation: absent left pectoral muscle, significantly shorter/smaller left arm and hand
Gary Burghoff
Actor
Gary Burghoff played Corporal Radar O'Reilly in the original M*A*S*H film and the long-running television series — one of the most beloved characters in American television history. He was born with brachydactyly (shortened fingers) on his left hand as a feature of Poland anomaly. He routinely kept his hand out of frame or used props to avoid distraction, but his condition never prevented a career-defining performance that earned him an Emmy Award.
Poland anomaly presentation: brachydactyly (shortened fingers) on left hand
Lewis Hatchett
Professional Cricket
As a child, Lewis Hatchett was told he would never play cricket — let alone professionally. He is missing the muscles on the right side of his chest and was born without two ribs. He went on to play professional cricket for Sussex County Cricket Club in England for six seasons. He is now a motivational speaker, personal coach, and ambassador for Poland anomaly awareness, regularly supporting newly diagnosed families and young people navigating the condition.
Poland anomaly presentation: absent right chest muscles, missing two ribs
Mathew Silcocks
Paralympic Swimming
Australian Paralympian Mathew Silcocks has Poland anomaly and has competed at the highest levels of adaptive swimming. His story is particularly relevant for families who wonder whether physical difference will close doors in sport — Silcocks competed on the world stage in a sport that, like boxing, places direct demands on upper body strength and bilateral coordination.
Poland anomaly presentation: specific details not publicly disclosed
Jeremy Beadle
Television Presenter
One of Britain's most recognized television presenters of the 1980s and 1990s, Jeremy Beadle hosted shows watched by millions and became a household name. His right hand was significantly smaller due to Poland anomaly — a feature he acknowledged openly and with characteristic humor. He passed away in 2008, but his career stands as a reminder that public presence and professional success have nothing to do with hand size.
Poland anomaly presentation: significantly smaller right hand
Poland anomaly is one of many conditions involving upper limb difference. The broader community of people who have built remarkable lives with hand or arm differences is large and documented. A few examples:
Jim Abbott
Major League Baseball
Jim Abbott was born without a right hand and pitched in Major League Baseball for ten seasons, including a no-hitter for the New York Yankees in 1993. He learned a one-handed fielding technique that became famous in its own right. He was present at Angel Stadium the day Hailey Dawson completed her Journey to 30 — and told her: "You can do anything you want to do." He meant it. He had already proven it himself.
Not Poland anomaly — congenital absence of right hand. Included as limb difference inspiration.
Nick Vujicic
Speaker & Author
Born without arms or legs due to tetra-amelia syndrome, Nick Vujicic has spoken to millions of people worldwide about living a full life with a body that doesn't match the expected template. He surfs, golfs, swims, and has a family. His message for children navigating difference — that limitations are often smaller than they appear from the outside — resonates deeply in the Poland anomaly community even though his condition is distinct.
Not Poland anomaly — tetra-amelia syndrome. Included as limb difference inspiration.
Know someone who should be on this page?
This list will grow. If you know of a public figure with Poland anomaly, or a member of the Poland anomaly community whose story deserves to be told here, please contact us. We are especially interested in elevating women and girls with Poland anomaly, who are underrepresented in most existing lists.