Nobody knows a baby by heart than the mother. Thus, when Brandi McGlathery saw her baby boy, she instantly knew something was wrong even if the doctors told her there wasn't.
Twenty-three-year-old Brandi has just delivered her second baby with 25-year-old Troy Thompson in South Baldwin Hospital located in Foley, Alabama. Like her first, the delivery was uneventful.
However, when she saw her baby for the first time after he was placed in her loving arms, she immediately zeroed in on the face--or what's missing in it. Eli was born without a nose.
The doctors initially corrected her, but then we can't blame them. What little Eli has is a very rare facial deformity known as congenital arhinia, wherein he doesn't have the normal nasal structure. In fact, the condition is so unique that there are less than 50 people diagnosed with it around the world.
The baby was eventually taken from her arms and out of the room. Later, the doctor came back to confirm her biggest fear. Now how would Eli learn to breathe?
The baby can still breathe in and out using the mouth, but the challenge becomes evident once she needs to feed the baby. To help the baby breathe during feeding, the doctors of USA Children's and Women's Hospital, where the family was later transferred, have to resort to tracheotomy, a surgical process wherein an incision is made on the neck so a tube can be inserted.
Apart from the missing nose, the baby is okay. All the tests ran on him came back negative or normal. Although he had a low testosterone count, that can be fixed with a shot later.
That doesn't mean there are no more challenges along the way. The parents have to deal with tracheotomy for a possibly longer period. While a cosmetic nose can be added, it will still be useless since Eli doesn't have sinus cavities. Currently, they, along with the friends and family, are raising funds to defray costs of specialists.
