Gráinne Evans of Ireland gave birth to her daughter Tessa on Valentine's Day 2013. Tessa has a very rare condition called congenital arhinia; there are fewer than 50 cases reported in medical history.
Gráinne was shocked to see that the condition meant Tessa was born without a nose — no nasal passages or sinus cavities, no sense of smell, and various eye issues.
At just 8 days old, Tessa underwent a tracheostomy to help her breathe.
As Tessa's case began to make headlines, Gráinne began speaking out about the rare condition and its impact on her beautiful daughter and on her as a mother.
"You feel guilty. You feel like you have caused this," she told The Ryan Tubridy Show. "You grieve the child that you thought you were going to have."
But Gráinne says Tessa — now 8 years old — has never let the fact she has no nose get in the way of her attitude toward life. As you're about to see, Tessa is brave, joyful, and funny.
Not only that, but this awesome little girl is about to became the first person ever to have a special type of implant that would "rebuild" her nose entirely …
