Country singer Rory Feek gives a hopeful update as his 12-year-old daughter Indiana begins recovering after successful open-heart surgery

 

Country singer Rory Feek has shared a hopeful update after his 12 year old daughter, Indiana, successfully underwent open heart surgery this week.

The 61 year old singer revealed on his Substack that Indiana was originally scheduled to have the procedure on Wednesday, June 24, but doctors postponed it until Thursday morning. The delay gave Feek extra time to prepare emotionally for the life changing operation.

Indiana, who has Down syndrome, was diagnosed with a small hole in her heart shortly after she was born in 2014. Although doctors initially believed the condition, known as a ventricular septal defect (VSD), might close on its own, the family learned several months ago that the defect had begun causing complications and would require surgery.

After the operation, Feek shared that Indiana was recovering in the intensive care unit with him and his wife, Rebecca, who is Indiana’s stepmother, by her side.

“When we walked into the room and Indiana heard our voice, her tears that began falling 

caused a chain reaction from her Mama and me,” Feek wrote.

He explained that Indiana was frightened, in pain, and struggling to understand why she was connected to so many tubes and wires. Watching her go through that was heartbreaking for both parents.

According to Feek, Indiana drifted in and out of sleep following the surgery and became emotional whenever she was awake. Looking back, he admitted the one day postponement may have been harder on him than on his daughter.

“I’m not sure Indy needed the extra day, but I did,” he wrote, saying he needed more time to process what “her little heart, and ours, was about to go through.”

In the days leading up to surgery, Indiana had come to accept what was ahead and spent her time enjoying simple moments. Feek recalled that just before she was taken into the operating room, she was happily playing with her new doll Rosemary, winning games of Uno, and watching her two year old friend Ardi play the tambourine.

Throughout the procedure, nurses kept Feek and Rebecca updated every hour. At one point, they were told the surgeon had discovered something concerning, but the issue ultimately proved to be harmless.

The surgery ended with the best possible outcome.

“The hole in her heart is closed, the blockages are cleared, and she should make a full recovery and live a full, long life,” Feek wrote. “Thank you Jesus.”

The National Down Syndrome Society says that about half of babies born with Down syndrome have a congenital heart condition, with heart defects such as holes between the chambers among the most common. While some cases are detected before birth or immediately after delivery, others require ongoing monitoring before treatment becomes necessary.

Feek previously recalled taking Indiana to Nashville for heart testing just days after her birth in February 2014, following a concerning appointment with a local doctor. Specialists diagnosed her with a VSD and advised the family to monitor the condition over the years in hopes it would eventually close naturally.

Indiana is Feek’s youngest child. He also has two adult daughters, Heidi and Hopie, from his first marriage to Tamara Gilmer, although he revealed in 2025 that he is not Hopie’s biological father. After divorcing Gilmer, Feek married Indiana’s mother, Joey Feek, who died from metastatic cervical cancer in 2016. In July 2024, he married Rebecca, who had previously been Indiana’s teacher.