Rory Feek’s Daughters Slam ‘Ongoing Exploitation’ of 12-Year-Old Sister Indiana After Hospital Bed Photos Shared

A deepening family rift has spilled into public view, as Rory Feek’s two older daughters speak out against what they call the repeated exploitation of their youngest sister, 12‑year‑old Indiana who is recovering from life‑threatening complications following open‑heart surgery.

Heidi Feek, 39, and Hopie Feek, 38, have not seen or spoken to Indiana in more than two years, amid an ongoing legal and personal dispute with their father, the Grammy‑winning country singer best known as one half of the beloved duo Joey+Rory.

A Health Scare Shared Publicly, Not Privately

Earlier this summer, Indiana who has Down syndrome and was born with a congenital heart defect underwent planned open‑heart surgery. Days after being discharged, her condition worsened sharply. In a July 11 post on his paid Substack blog titled “A Wake Up Call,” Rory shared that he and his wife Rebecca had feared the worst.

“Neither Rebecca nor I have been as scared in our lives as we were Thursday morning,” he wrote. “We thought we had lost her.”

He went on to publish graphic details of her emergency transfer, plus photographs including shots of Indiana being airlifted to an Austin hospital and resting in her hospital bed. He also linked to his song “Thank You Lord” at the end of the post, framing it as a message of gratitude through hardship.

For Heidi and Hopie, the first they learned of their sister’s near‑death experience was when they saw the post circulating online.

“I’m glad she’s doing better, but I am heartbroken that I found out on Instagram,” Heidi said in an emotional video shared to her Instagram Stories on July 12. “What makes me absolutely sick is the ongoing exploitation of my little sister on his monetized Substack account. These are vulnerable moments moments she cannot consent to sharing and they are being used to make money and promote his work.”

‘Not a Moment to Stop and Take Photos’

Hopie echoed her sister’s outrage, calling out the choice to document Indiana at her most afraid and fragile.

“My beautiful 12‑year‑old sister was being life‑flighted to Austin, scared and hurt and surrounded by strangers,” she wrote. “Somehow that was the perfect time to stop and take photos? I would never, in the middle of the worst moment of my child’s life, think ‘I need to capture this for my blog and my followers.’ That isn’t love that’s performance.”

The sisters also opened up about the deeper hurt driving their public criticism. In a separate statement, Hopie confirmed that a 2025 DNA test revealed Rory is not her biological father a revelation that deepened their already fractured relationship.

“People judge us for fighting so hard against the man who raised us,” she wrote. “I love him, and I always will. But mistakes were made with us, and we are fighting so they won’t be made with Indy. She deserves to be protected, not put on display.”

Ongoing Dispute Over Care and Access

Legal filings brought by Heidi and Hopie in late 2024 remain sealed to protect Indiana’s privacy, but the sisters have alleged their father cut off all contact between them and their sister, and made choices that put her well‑being at risk.

Rory has maintained that Indiana misses her sisters and asks about them often, but that he has restricted access due to conflicting values and concerns over her stability.

“I know they are angry and want justice for the wrongs they believe were done,” he wrote in a 2024 blog post. “I am not a perfect father but I am doing everything I can for Indiana.”

A representative for Rory Feek declined to comment when reached by PEOPLE.

Focus on Recovery

Doctors have since confirmed that fluid drained from around Indiana’s heart successfully, and she is expected to make a full recovery. But for Heidi and Hopie, the conversation has shifted from medical updates to the fundamental question of how a vulnerable child’s story should be shared and who gets to decide.

“Indiana is not a story,” Heidi said. “She is a little girl who needs peace, privacy, and people who will stand between her and the camera when she’s hurting. That’s all we’ve ever wanted.”