Coats and his identical twin, Devin, of Slidell, Louisiana, were both diagnosed with a severe form of liver cirrhosis in March 2017. The cirrhosis was thought to be caused by a rare genetic mutation shared by the brothers, their mother said. "It was not his fault, but ultimately, he paid the price because of it," said Margi Coats, the boys' mother. Devin was able to receive a liver transplant this year. However, Nick was deemed ineligible for a transplant at the time because his liver was not damaged enough to place him on the donor registry, Coats said.

Source: CNN March 23, 2018 21:33 UTC