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Twin captured in touching 'hugging' photo dies: 'Our hearts are saddened'

An outpouring of support has showered the parents of newborn twins seen "hugging" in a viral photo following the death of one of the babies.
/ Source: TODAY

A photo of their newborn twins, captured in a hug “the first time they have ever touched,” went viral. Now, thousands of online supporters are sending condolences to the parents following the death of one of the infants.

Mason and Hawk Buchmeyer charmed the nation after their parents posted a picture of them at just 11 days old. In the photo, Mason has an arm draped around his sick brother and wears what looks like a smile on his face.

“It's the first time they have ever touched and as soon as Mason felt Hawk he reached out for his arm and smiled this big,” the parents wrote on a Sept. 1 Facebook post that has received more than 120,000 reactions. “We thought it was time for everyone pulling for our boy to see this picture.”

The twins were born Aug. 18, and doctors soon learned Hawk had a congenital diaphragmatic hernia. He underwent several surgeries to fix the condition, which left him with a hole in his diaphragm that allowed his organs to shift inside his body.

On Wednesday, his parents shared news that Hawk had died.

“Our hearts are saddened this morning as our sweet little man was called home to be with Jesus. He went very peacefully and we know he's no longer suffering,” they wrote. “Please give us some time to grieve and try to start the healing process.”

The post generated thousands of comments from people sharing prayers and expressing their sorrow over the loss.