Five days after Dalton Prager — the husband in the real-life "Fault In Our Stars" couple — passed away, his wife Katie died of complications from cystic fibrosis.
Katie was 26 years old.
Surrounded by her parents, brother and her dogs, Katie died peacefully at home, miles away from hospital tubes and IVs, according to Katie's mom, Debra Donovan.
A Long Battle
Dalton and Katie's story was first featured in CNN in 2015.
The young couple first met when they were 18 years old through Facebook. They both suffered from cystic fibrosis, a gene disorder that weakened their lungs.
As they fell in love with each other, they became aware of the possible consequences. It is highly dangerous for people with cystic fibrosis to meet because they can transmit infections to one another.
But Katie and Dalton braved the odds. Although their healths both deteriorated after their first meet-up, they were on the waiting list for lung transplants.
Less than two years after meeting for the first time, the couple got married. They bought a house in Flemingsburg, hosted regular game nights, traveled and posted wedding photos.
"We did stuff; we had fun," Katie told CNN days before she passed away. "It was like something out of a fairy tale."
The Ending
In 2014, the infection got the best of their lungs. The couple entered the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to wait for new lungs.
Dalton underwent the lung transplant first on Nov. 17, 2014. After a long struggle with Medicaid, Medicare and the hospital, Katie got her lung transplant in July 2015.
However, the couple's struggles went on. Dalton developed lymphoma, overcame it, and was hospitalized in Missouri because he was infected with pneumonia.
Meanwhile, Katie was also in and out of the hospital in Kentucky. Earlier this September, doctors told her that there was nothing more they could do. She was sent to hospice care instead.
Their families hoped to fly Dalton to Kentucky so the couple could be reunited. Sadly, Dalton never made the trip home. He passed away at the hospital on Sept. 17. He was 25.
No Regrets
Before her husband died, Katie told CNN that she had no regrets about her decision to meet the love of her life in person. All the time they spent together stood out the most to her, she said.
"I'd rather have five years of being in love and just really completely happy than 20 years of not having anybody," she said.
Their love story was cut short, but Katie knew it brought inspiration to others.
"It gave me some of the best years of my life," added Katie.
