A Chinese man who had the world's biggest hand is hoping for a normal life after undergoing surgery. Liu Hua, 24, from Jiangsu Province, had fingers thicker than his arms before the operation to remove 11lbs of bone and tissue, reports Xinmin Evening News. His left thumb, index finger and middle finger were deformed at birth but they have since grown to an amazing size. Liu said: "My thumb and index finger are even thicker than my arms, and make my left hand useless. "When I go out, I have to wrap my left hand in clothes and pretend I’m holding a bag." Doctors at Shanghai City 9th People’s hospital took seven hours to do the surgery. They plan another operation in about six months. "We kept his five fingers, and hopefully his left hand will eventually regain normal function," a spokesman said. Liu was suffering from a rare disease called macrodactyly, a birth defect in which toes or fingers are abnormally large.