Real-life 'Fault in Our Stars' couple dies only days apart

Katie Prager and Dalton Prager had been in love for years.

Unfortunately, however, both Pragers struggled with cystic fibrosis. Doctors had forced them to live apart, concerned that Dalton would pass on an infection to Katie. Then on Thursday, Katie, 26, died five days after her husband, who passed away at 25 years old.

"Early this morning, she gained her wish of being at home, in her bed, surrounded by her mom, dad, brother and her dogs, dying peacefully, away from the hospital, tubes, IVs," Katie's mother, Debra Donovan, wrote on Facebook.

"I know Dalton was waiting with open arms, as well as both her grandmothers and a host of family and friends that have gone before her."

The couple had been living in separate states for years: Katie in Kentucky, and Dalton in Missouri. They were last together in January for their fifth anniversary.

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Cystic fibrosis clogs lungs with mucus and affects the digestive system and other organs. Both Katie and Dalton received lung transplants, which failed.

"He has tried so many times and he has tried so hard," Dalton's mother, Renee Prager, told The St Louis Dispatch. "Unfortunately his body is not agreeing with what he wants to do."

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The couple wrote about their experiences online and raised over $32,000 for their treatments.

Katie and Dalton even compared themselves to the couple in the book The Fault in Our Stars. Now, her mother is paying tribute to the daughter she lost.

"The days to follow will not be easy but I find comfort in knowing that my girl lived, she really lived," Katie's mother wrote on Facebook. "If there is something you want to do, don't wait. Life is short, love as hard as you can."