American Eli Thompson was known as a one-in-197-million baby, as he was born without a nose. He shared the condition of congenital arhinia with only 40 other people worldwide. /CFP
Arhinia is the partial or complete absence of an external nose, nasal cavity or olfactory system at birth. /CFP
Eli inspired many people after pictures of the smiling tot circulated online and his story was featured in media calling him a “miracle baby.” His father, Jeremy Finch, said Eli was as smart and happy as other kids. He smiled a lot and liked to give people fist bumps. /CFP
Eli learned to communicate through sign language. In 2015, he met a girl from Ireland born with the same condition. /CFP
On Sunday, Finch confirmed that Eli had died in Mobile, Alabama just months after celebrating his second birthday. "I'll forever look forward to seeing him at the gates of Heaven waiting on me to give me another one of his famous fist bumps!” Finch wrote. /CFP
Finch launched a fundraising drive for Eli’s funeral, and donations soon exceeded the original target of 16,000 US dollars. Finch said the excess will be donated to a charity in Eli’s name. /CFP
