Baby Born Without A Nose Is The Internet’s Happiest, Most Adorable Baby

Meet Baby Eli. It’s probably pretty easy to figure out that Eli is different than other babies.

In a very rare occurrence, Eli was born without a nose. The condition is called congenital arhinia. There are only 47 known cases, according to the National Institute of Health, meaning it affects only one in 197 million babies.

While it may be easy at first to dismiss as simply a cosmetic abnormality, having a nose is necessary to be able to breathe while we eat.

Though doctors at the Foley, Alabama, hospital where Eli was born had never seen a case likes his, they quickly realized the dilemma and Eli had to undergo an emergency tracheostomy to create an opening in his windpipe for breathing.

Unfortunately, that surgery wouldn’t even be close to the last.

Eli spent weeks in the neonatal intensive-care unit and spent much of his first few months in and out of the hospital. Doctors told his mother, Brandi McGlathery, that as Eli grew, he would need to undergo reconstructive surgery every year or two until puberty. The hospital bills would be astronomical.

But it turns out the rarity of his condition would help lead to an amazing discovery.

Eli’s parents were connected with a family thousands of miles away in Ireland. The family had a two-year-old, Tessa. And like Eli, Tessa did not have a nose.

Tessa however had just been approved for the first ever surgery to implant a 3D-printed prosthetic nose to her face. The surgery would gradually stretch Tessa’s skin to fit over the prosthetic nose. Then, as Tessa grows, a new prosthetic is implanted every couple years to match the growth of her head.

In September, Baby Eli was approved for the same surgery.

“After a lengthy conversation, many tears, thanks, & hallelujahs, we FINALLY have a game plan set in place for Eli,” said McGlathery in an update on the GoFundMe page. “In January, just 2 months shy of Eli’s first birthday (yes, our baby is already almost 7 months old!), we will travel to London for our first assessment.”

Since then, Baby Eli, Tessa, and their families have met, the two families helping provide strength and support to one another.

And as Eli awaits his surgery, he’s just going to keep dazzling the Internet with adorable picture after adorable picture.

Each picture is just more proof that being different doesn’t have to hold you back. Different is special and it’s those special individuals who help inspire others to do great things.