Baby Eli Proves That You Don’t Need A Nose To Be Adorable

There’s a reason why Baby Eli is such a hit online. He is adorable. Take a look…

#11 Baby Eli

Not everyday you get to see little babies born without a proper nose. Brandi McGlathery though is a Mom of one such champ. Doctors told her that it was a one in 197 million chance that her baby Eli would be born the way he was.

Everything was all good during the pregnancy period of Brandi. But on March 4, 2015, Eli Thompson came into the world with one major problem staring his mother in the face.Eli had no nose.

#10 Congenital Arhinia

Baby Eli was born with a condition called congenital arhinia. This is a very rare condition with only about 47 cases being reported so far, according to the National Institutes of Health.

No one including Doctors had any clue about this condition properly. McGlathery was as clueless as the doctors, and wasn’t even sure if her baby would live or die.”That entire night, I was scared, alone, & confused,” she said.

#9 The Real Problem

Doctors realised that survival wasn’t an issue here. The problem was eating and breathing at the same time. Which realistically wasn’t possible for Baby Eli.

Keep reading ahead to see what happened with the baby ahead.

#8 Surgeries

Baby Eli had to struggle a lot. He spent weeks in the ICU. But he proved that no nose wasn’t going to bring him down.

With every passing year, he would need to undergo surgeries regularly for reconstructive surgery until he reaches puberty.

#7 Baby

But then, something amazing happened. Eli met someone just like him, and it would completely change this planned trajectory.

#6 Eli Met Tessa

So Eli met Tessa. Tessa was born in Ireland in the same condition as Eli. In June of 2015, Tessa was the first child to undergo surgery that would give her a brand new nose. Meeting Tessa was a hope for Eli.

#5 The Surgery

The surgery gradually stretched Tessa’s skin with a prosthesis to fit a 3D-printed nose where her nose should have been. Never in the medical history before has something like this happened.

The procedure is not yet over though. The prosthesis will be replaced every few years now. By the end of September 2015, Eli was approved for the same surgery.

#4 The Co-Incident

“After a lengthy conversation, many tears, thanks, & hallelujahs, we FINALLY have a game plan set in place for Eli,” McGlathery said in an update on the GoFundMe page.

Both the families met each other by a co-incidence. Eli’s grandparents had planned a trip to Atlanta to visit relatives, when Eli’s family learned that Tessa’s father had won a trip to the city…the exact same weekend. I mean, what are the odds?

#3 The Kids

“To get to introduce Tessa to Eli was like a dream come true and it meant the world to us to sit and talk with his family,” Tessa’s mother Grainne Evans wrote.

Both the kids gelled with each other really well. Tessa was totally taken with Eli and hugged him and stroked his head.