A Mobile-area family is marking a milestone this month as their infant son reaches six months old, continuing to defy the odds tied to an exceptionally rare medical condition. Timothy “Eli” Thompson was born March 4 at South Baldwin Hospital in Foley, and doctors and his own mother were stunned to discover the otherwise healthy newborn did not have a nose.
Brandi McGlathery, Eli’s mother, said her pregnancy seemed typical aside from unusually persistent morning sickness. It wasn’t until delivery that anyone realized her son had complete congenital arhinia, a condition so uncommon that medical literature places the odds at roughly one in 197 million births, with only a few dozen documented cases worldwide.
Within days of his birth, Eli was transferred to a Mobile children’s hospital, where surgeons performed a tracheotomy to help him breathe. He spent more than three weeks in the hospital before he was well enough to go home.
Since then, the family has relocated from Summerdale to Mobile, settling into a neighborhood McGlathery chose partly for its central playground, where Eli’s older brother, Brysen, can play. Brysen recently celebrated his fifth birthday and started kindergarten, a milestone his mother said the family celebrated alongside Eli’s own steady progress.
McGlathery, who works as a bartender in downtown Mobile, said she hopes to eventually train as a neonatal intensive care nurse, drawing on her family’s own experience navigating a hospital stay with a medically complex baby.
Eli’s story drew wide attention earlier this year after local coverage of his birth, and a Facebook page McGlathery created to document his progress has since grown to more than 167,000 followers from around the world. Supporters regularly check in for updates on Eli’s development, from small victories to more difficult stretches.
Among the milestones the family has celebrated: Eli tried solid food for the first time in late May, managing applesauce despite feeding challenges tied to his condition. By midsummer, he was holding his own bottle, and followers have watched videos of him wearing a hooded towel after bath time and even sneezing, something McGlathery said still surprises people given his anatomy.
The past six months have not been without difficulty. Along with the medical hurdles common to children with airway differences, the family has also weathered a personal transition, as McGlathery and Eli’s father are no longer together. She said she remains focused on stability for both of her sons as Eli continues to grow.
Doctors continue to monitor Eli’s development, and further procedures may be part of his future as he grows older. For now, his mother said, the family is taking each milestone as it comes, grateful for a supportive community that has followed their son’s first six months.