Katie and Dalton Prager met when they were both being treated for cystic fibrosis. Two years later they got married. Three years later they were separated by their condition, and thought they may never be able to touch each other again.

Both Katie and Dalton needed lung transplants. Dalton had private insurance which paid for him to go to Pittsburgh and get the transplant. However, Katie had Kentucky Medicaid which was refusing to pay for her to go to Pittsburgh and get that transplant. So while her husband recovered in Pittsburgh, Katie was stuck in a Kentucky hospital that didn’t do the type of transplant she needed, and told she only had a year to live.

Fortunately, CNN did a story about Katie which criticized Kentucky Medicaid’s refusal to pay. Less than a week later, Medicaid finally got the process started to send Katie to Pittsburgh. Medicaid released a statement saying “Everyone has the best interests of the patient at heart, and are working collaboratively to overcome any further administrative hurdles.”

According to Katie, “Without CNN I don’t think any of this would have been possible. I am so thankful for all the support that Dalton and I have received from people all over the world.”

Dalton was eventually released from the Pittsburgh hospital, but still can’t go into his wife’s hospital room as her infection could kill him. But with Katie now getting approved for the transplant, the couple has newfound hope. “I will hug my husband on our four year anniversary. I just know it,” Katie told CNN.