Half of 'Fault in Our Stars' Couple, Husband Dalton Prager Dies at 25; What You Need to Know About Cystic Fibrosis [DETAILS]
Half of Real-Life "Fault in Our Stars" Couple Has Succumbed to the Disease
Dalton Prager was 25 when he succumbed to Cystic Fibrosis.
He died last Saturday afternoon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He is survived by his wife, Katie, who was put in a hospice in Flemingsburg, Kentucky for end-stage renal failure. The two were too sick to be by each other's side that they bid their farewells on Face Time.
Real Life 'Fault in Our Stars' Couple
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Katie and Dalton were 18 years old when they fell in love with each other online. Both had cystic fibrosis but meeting each other would be too risky as Dalton had Burkholderia cepacia, a contagious bacterial condition that could be dangerous for people with cystic fibrosis, CNN reported.
Nevertheless, the two still met and got married 2 years later in 2011. Katie got the Burkholderia cepacia bacteria from Dalton and she and Dalton had to have lung transplants at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. They got their transplants but Dalton contracted lymphoma, survived it but was hit with pneumonia and a viral infection soon after. Katie's transplant did not do so well for her as she frequented hospitals until it was declared earlier this month that she had end-stage renal failure and was put on hospice.
Katie's family had planned for Dalton to be flown to Kentucky to recover near where his wife was but he never made it as he was too ill to fly, Daily Mail reported. He was put in the ICU in the last two weeks. The last time that the couple ever saw each other was on their 5th anniversary last July.
According to AL.com, Dalton and Katie's love story is similar to the fictional story by John Green's book "Fault in Our Stories" which was made into a movie that became a blockbuster hit.
Cystic Fibrosis Definition, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment
Cystic Fibrosis is a condition that affects the exocrine glands. It is a hereditary disorder that often results to infection and damage to the lungs and digestive system, Mayo Clinic notes. With cystic fibrosis, the exocrine gland produces abnormally thick mucus, digestive juices and sweat. These secretions then block passageways in the pancreas and lungs.
Signs and symptoms of cystic fibrosis include frequent lung infections, breathlessness, severe constipation, low weight and growth, foul stools and more. Complications may include chronic infections, damaged bronchial tubes, respiratory failure, coughing up blood, diabetes, intestinal obstruction and more. There is currently no cure for cystic fibrosis but there are treatment plans and strategies that can ease the symptoms to prevent complications. Medication and a combination of therapies are given as well.
