Born With Weeks to Live, Baby Iris Is Now 51 Days Old — and Facing a Surgery Doctors Say Is Too Risky

Baby Iris has already lived far beyond the two to seven days doctors initially expected.

Now doctors have finally figured out why she cannot eat. Her dad says the surgery that could fix it is considered too risky for his tiny daughter right now.

Many people prayed for Iris Faith when her story was first shared last month. She was born July 16 with Trisomy 18, a serious genetic condition that can cause profound medical complications. Two days later, her parents took their 3-pound newborn home on hospice after being told she might live only days.

Iris kept fighting. Her parents did, too.

Now her dad, Tony, has reached back out after another three weeks in the hospital with an update that shows just how complicated that fight has become.

Doctors have diagnosed Iris with pyloric stenosis, a condition in which the opening between the stomach and small intestine becomes narrowed and prevents food from passing through normally. Tony says surgery would ordinarily be used to correct it, but doctors believe operating on Iris right now carries too much risk because of her Trisomy 18 and fragile condition.

So Iris cannot eat normally. Her dad says she is being fed through a PICC line while doctors try another approach: atropine, a medication they hope may help open the narrowed passage enough for food to move through.

It may work. It may not.

If it doesn’t, Tony says doctors have told them they may have to wait until Iris becomes bigger and stronger before surgery can be considered.

And while they wait, another part of her condition is getting worse.

“Her respiratory state has gotten worse. Everything is up and down and we get discouraged some days but other days are okay.”

“We need all the prayers, love and support we can get. We still have a long hospital journey, but Iris is a fighter and she continues to show us that everyday!”

Think about how much has happened since this family was originally told they might have only two to seven days with her. They took Iris home on hospice believing they were preparing to say goodbye. They returned to Birmingham, Alabama, again and again when she struggled — even after Tony says they were twice told there was nothing more doctors could do.

Her parents kept asking for help because their little girl kept showing them she wasn’t finished fighting.

Today, Iris Faith is 51 days old.

Please pray that atropine works for Iris and that her tiny body can begin tolerating food again.
Pray for her breathing, for strength and growth, and for the doctors trying to find the safest way forward for a baby whose medical needs make every decision so difficult.
And pray for Tony and Iris’s mom through the emotional whiplash of good days followed by frightening ones.

They have now had more than seven weeks with the daughter they were told they might have for only two to seven days.

Source: Update from Tony, father of Iris Faith, born July 16, 2026, with Trisomy 18 and later diagnosed with pyloric stenosis during continued hospital care in Birmingham, Alabama.