Could this story get any more heartbreaking?
On Saturday Dalton Prager lost his life at age 25 after a difficult battle with cystic fibrosis, a disease which was complicated by a failed lung transplant in 2014.
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While Prager’s death at such a young age is tragic enough, his story is especially sad considering his wife Katie Prager is also dying from the same disease.
For those who don’t know, Dalton and Katie — dubbed the “real-life Fault In Our Stars couple” by CNN — met online in 2011 and quickly bonded over their shared illnesses. Despite advice from their doctors (CF sufferers can easily pass bacteria to one another), the two finally met in person and eventually got married after a beautiful courtship.
Not too long after their nuptials, the duo’s love story was interrupted by mutually failed lung transplants and drastic health complications. The setbacks were also complicated by distance — Dalton received his treatment in Missouri while Katie stayed in Kentucky.
Given their different locations, Mrs. Prager was forced to say her final goodbye to her husband via FaceTime. It’s truly upsetting considering a GoFundMe account was actively raising money for the lovers to meet one last time before their deaths.
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In a post to Facebook, Katie penned an emotional message in honor of her love’s passing:
“My angel, my best friend, the love of my life, my husband went to be with the Lord our God today. Dalton fought a long hard battle with Cystic Fibrosis. He was a courageous fighter and ‘give up’ wasn’t in his vocabulary. Thank you for all of your love, prayers and kind words that you have shown to us over the past few years. God bless each of you. -Katie”
While the loss was obviously devastating to Katie, she took some solace in an early Christmas her family put together that same day. Just hours after Dalton passed, the woman celebrated what will likely be her last holiday with loved ones.
When a reporter at the bittersweet event asked Katie about her true love’s death, she simply responded:
“He meant everything to me. I’ll see him soon.”
Wow. We can’t even begin to imagine the depth of the brave woman’s loss.
Those who wish to support Katie and her family can donate HERE.
[Image via Go Fund Me.]
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