This is something that Brandi McGlathery found out when her son, Timothy Eli Thompson, was born without a nose.
Beautiful Timothy Eli was born without nasal passages or sinus cavities, a condition known as congenital arhinia, which is so rare that it has a one in 197 million chance of occurring.
Commenting after the birth of her beautiful son, Brandi admitted that Timothy Eli’s condition came as a total shock to her, given that each ultrasound had come back perfect.
Since Timothy Eli’s condition was discovered, Brandi has been sharing updates about her little one on a dedicated Facebook page entitled ‘Eli’s Journey’.
She has revealed that doctors have had to build a nose for her son, who has been undergoing treatment in the USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital in Mobile for the past three weeks.
While the family are unsure at this point if her son’s new nose will function properly, they are incredibly hopeful.
Timothy Eli underwent a tracheotomy at just five days old, and has been using a tracheostomy tube to help him to breathe since.
Paying tribute to her strong, brave little boy, Brandi described him as “the most beautiful boy I’ve ever laid eyes on”.
We’ll keep you updated on his progress. We wish him and his family the very best with the rest of his treatment.
