This Guy's Bizarre Genetic Condition Will Leave You In Tears

#1 Jeffrey Ortega, 26, suffers from a rare genetic mutation called Proteus Syndrome.

Proteus Syndrome has caused his hands, hips, legs, feet, and bones to grow abnormally. It is the same condition that the Elephant Man suffered from.

#2 So far he has had 11 unsuccessful surgeries performed on his legs.

The National Institutes of Health has helped him with his previous treatments in exchange for being able to research his disease.

#3 Ortega said his parents began to notice his deformities when he was an infant.

"My mother noticed my swollen right index finger when I was only nine months old. She thought it was a mosquito bite and tried homemade remedies but it didn't work. Then, when I was one, my father noticed my left leg was a little longer than my right."

#4 Ortega's feet have always caused him the most pain and difficulty.

Today, his left foot is 17" long and 14" wide. His right foot is 14.5" wide and 12" long. He has not been able to wear shoes in standard sizes since he was 11. His only pair of wearable shoes are some old Crocs, which are slowly breaking apart.

#5 His feet require constant care and cleaning, and they often become infected.

"If I didn't wash my feet during the day when I was in college, the odor was so strong that even flies started following around my feet."

#6 Now Ortega believes that his life would improved with an amputation.

He wishes to have his left foot amputated and fit with a prosthetic.

#7 He hopes that this surgery can help him walk again and wear normal shoes.

"I had to face the facts that because of the pain in my foot and all the rogue skin on the bottom of my feet that constantly get infected I need to have my foot amputated. The doctors who could help me amputate my foot cannot help me with it because of the financial issues that I face."

Ortega set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for his surgery.