'Miracle Baby' Eli Born With No Nose: Facts

Story:

‘Miracle baby’ Eli is born with no nose in Alabama.

Other Versions

1. Baby Born Without Nose.

2. Eli Thompson: The Baby Who Was Born Without a Nose.

Picture of 'Miracle Baby' Eli Born With No Nose — ‘Miracle Baby’ Eli Born With No Nose

Analysis:

Stories and pictures shared heavily on social networking sites and elsewhere online say that a ‘Miracle baby’ named Eli was born with no Nose in Alabama. Yes, it is a fact.

Eli Thompson & His Birth

In the late afternoon of 4th March 2015, Eli Thompson was born to couple Brandi McGlathery and Troy Thompson at South Baldwin Hospital in Alabama. It wasn’t until the doctors handed him to his mother, that she realized he came into this world without a nose. Mother McGlathery said that their miracle baby started breathing normally through his mouth, and was then taken to USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital in Mobile, where the 5 days old underwent a Tracheotomy to assist with his breathing. Dr. R. Craig Brown, McGlathery’s obstetrician said that other than not having a nose, little Eli is doing great. His mother said that the chances of being born with the malformation, Congenital Arhinia, is 1 in 197 million.

Congenital Arhinia

Congenital Arhinia, or absence of nose at birth is an extremely rare condition (malformation). According to a 2014 study published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine on a similar case, there had been only 43 recorded cases of congenital arhinia since the first case reported in 1931. Congenital nasal absence can potentially be life-threatening by causing breathing and feeding problems, but there are also known cases of babies who made it well into adulthood. In July 2014, a similar case of congenital arhinia was reported in Tessa Evans, who grew 17 months old.

Eli Thompson does not have an external nose, a nasal cavity or olfactory system (sense of smell), but he still can sneeze. On the downside, Eli does not make a noise when he cries, so his mother has to keep a constant eye on him. Eli has a Facebook page created, and his family friends set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his years of surgeries and expensive medical costs.

Describing her baby boy, Eli Thompson’s mother Brandi McGlathery said “he’s perfect the way he is,” and that she and her husband Troy Thompson had decided not to go for any plastic surgery until he grows up and decides on his own. After three weeks in the hospital, Eli is finally going home to his parents in Alabama on Monday, 6 Apr. 2015.