On March 4th, baby boy Eli came in to the world. Mom, Brandi McGathery said her pregnancy and delivery were normal, but when the doctor placed little Eli on her chest for the first time she gasped.
“I pulled back and said, ‘Something’s wrong!'” she told AL.com. “And the doctor said, ‘No, he’s perfectly fine.’ Then I shouted, ‘He doesn’t have a nose!'”
Timothy Eli Thompson, was born with a condition called congenital complete arhinia. He has no external nasal structure or passages. It’s extremely rare and affects only one in 197 million people. According to the medical journal IJSS Case Reports & Reviews, there have been only 28 reported cases since 1931.
Eli was taken to the NICU and given a tracheotomy to help him breathe. He is now happier and healthy and has been adjusting to life at home.
McGathery says he is now “Facebook famous” with over 40,000 followers on their page. “I can’t hide him,” says mom.
People have been extremely loving and supportive and have helped raised thousands of dollars to help with the many surgeries and procedures he will have to have in his lifetime.
“It makes me feel really good that I have a support system,” McGlathery said. “Everybody’s been awesome.”
“We’re going to do our best to make sure he’s happy,” McGlathery said. “The rest of him is so cute, sometimes you don’t realize he doesn’t have a nose.”
