Sunday night WWL-TV introduced viewers to identical twins, Devin and Nick Coats. Both were battling stage 4 cirrhosis of the liver. Devin was able to get a transplant, but by the time Nick had a chance to get a new liver it was too late.
WWL-TV learned Tuesday that Nick passed away. His family tells us he's at peace.
"I know that Nick took off last night and took a flight into heaven," his mother, Margi Bingham Coats said.
His room, where he spent his final days, is empty. Left behind are the remnants of a life cut short when it was just beginning. Nick was only 18 years old. He never got to go to prom or graduate high school or create a life for himself within the community that meant everything to him.
"Nick would love to be here," Margi said. "He didn't want to die. He wanted a life and unfortunately Nick's now going to have to be a remembrance because of the lack of donors."
Nick's final plea to others is echoing far and wide: sign up to be an organ donor so another family doesn't have to sit and watch time run out.
"Don't let us wait," Margi said. "Get us on the list. Know that these people are sick, they have diseases, they need to be taken care of immediately."
By the time a liver recipient was found, it was too late to save Nick. It won't, however, be too late for the person saved by Nick's final act on earth.
"He is going to be able to contribute a part of his sight to give someone else sight," Margi said. "That's a blessing."
Blessings from Nick are all around. They can be felt in the music he loved and in the memories he made. They're in his brother's smile and in the color red. They're in his hammock and in nature.
"Last night as we were sitting here preparing for Nick's passing, there was a little red lady bug that landed on my toe," Margi said. "That might have been Nick's sign to me that he's here."
Nick will live on through the lives he touched and the donations he made. He'll live on through his identical twin brother.
"He knows that I'm in his heart and he's in mine and we're connected as always," Devin Coats said.
"That's how we're going to continue," Margi added.
The family is struggling to pay medical and now funeral bills. If you'd like to donate click here.