Country singer Rory Feek revealed his 12-year-old daughter Indiana is out of the hospital eight days after experiencing complications from open heart surgery.
“Indy’s doing amazing and looking and feeling better than ever,” Rory, 61, revealed in a Substack blog on Monday, July 20. “Pretty much completely her old self. And although she’s excited about getting back to sleeping in her big girl bedroom…for the next few nights, Mama’s not taking any chances.”
He clarified, “She’s sleeping in a bed at the foot of ours.”
The musician initially announced on June 22 that he and wife Rebecca Feek were preparing Indiana for surgery to repair a hole in her heart. She was later admitted back to the hospital in July when fluid built up around her heart. (Indy has Down syndrome, which can be linked to heart issues, per the National Down Syndrome Society.)
“We’ve known for the last couple of months that this was on the horizon. This is part of why we’re here in Texas,” Rory wrote about her surgery in June. “Throughout February and March, we visited a couple of different children’s hospitals around the state and ultimately decided to do it at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin. It’s an incredible facility with a wonderful staff, and Dr. Frasier, who will be doing the surgery, is one of the very best pediatric cardiac surgeons in the world.”
He added, “[We’re] preparing her for something that’s going to be very hard on her. Hard on all of us, especially her Papa, to see her go through so much difficulty and pain. But I also know that when it’s done, it’s going to make her life better.”
Rory had a very positive update on Monday, revealing that Indy was officially released from the hospital eight days after her complications arose. (Rory welcomed Indy with his late wife and musical partner, Joey Feek. He married his third wife, Rebecca, in 2024.)
“When we got back home here to the little farmhouse we’ve been renting, as Rebecca and I unpacked (thankfully, some folks here had secretly showed up and cleaned up the house, since we had left everything in such a rush last Thursday morning), Indy and her friends went through more of the sweet cards and letters and played some games together in her bedroom,” he wrote. “Honestly, the outpouring of love from everyone — some we know and most we’ll probably never meet — that we’ve received in the last few weeks, has been absolutely humbling for our whole family.”
Indy’s medical issues have reignited a conflict with the Feek family. Amid her hospitalization, Rory’s older daughters, Heidi, 39, and Hopie, 38 — from his first marriage to Tamara Gilmer — criticized their father for publicizing Indy’s surgery.
Heidi and Hopie took legal action against their dad in the fall of 2024, claiming that he’d cut them off from contacting Indy because of a family dispute over her care. The case is ongoing, as of publication.
“Yesterday my father posted a Substack post where he detailed how she essentially almost died, according to him. And while I’m glad that she’s doing better and that she’s okay, according to him in that Substack post, I am upset that I found out on Instagram,” Heidi said in a vlog on July 12 “I am still upset because of the ongoing exploitation of my little sister on his monetized Substack account.”
She argued that Rory should not be sharing Indy’s “vulnerable moments” for social media content before criticizing him for promoting his song “Thank You Lord” at the end of his post.
“That’s not a moment to be taking photos, that’s not a moment to be blogging about, and it’s not a moment to be self-promoting or promoting your organization performing your song,” she insisted. “It all makes me absolutely sick to my stomach.”
Her sister Hopie claimed she and Heidi had not seen Indy in two years because of their disagreements with Rory.
“My beautiful 12 year old sister was being life flighted to Austin due to complications after her heart surgery…which somehow was the pristine time to stop and take photos!” Hopie alleged. “I see Indy scared and hurt surrounded by strangers being photographed from afar by a parent. In moments like these I would never stop to think I need to take photos for my blog and for my fans!”
Rory’s spokesperson declined to comment on Heidi and Hopie’s social media posts when contacted by Us.
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