'Miracle Baby' born without a nose dies

Just three months after his second birthday, Eli Thompson, an Alabama baby born without a nose, passed away.

Jeremy Finch, Eli's biological father, posted on Facebook about his son's June 3 death.

"We lost our little buddy last night," Finch wrote. "I'll never be able to make sense of why this happened, and this will hurt deeply for a long time. But I'm so blessed to have had this beautiful boy in my life!"

CNN reported Eli's story when he was born in 2015 with an extremely rare condition called arhinia. It left him without a nose, nasal passage or sinus cavity.

Only about 40 people in the world have been born with the condition, according to a study in the American Journal of Case Reports.

Eli's mother, Brandi McGlathery, told CNN she first realized there was something different right after he was born.

"And I stood there for a second, and I said something is wrong with him," said McGlathery. "And my doctor said no, he's perfectly fine. And I said no, he doesn't have a nose."

In his first days after birth, Eli had a tracheotomy put in to help him breathe and eat. His birth gained significant news coverage, and he was known by many as the "miracle baby" because he survived.

"He was in the public eye a lot. We appreciate the love and support that we've gotten from around the world," said Finch. "It's meant a lot for the family. We just ask for everyone's prayers at this time."