A show of brotherly love between two newborn twins in the US has ended sadly with one of the infants succumbing to his birth defect.
The photo of 11-day-old Mason and Hawk Buchmeyer in an embrace - "the first time they have ever touched each other" - was posted by their parents on Facebook last week and has been shared almost 30,000 times.
It shows Mason with his arm around Hawk in a hug.
"As soon as Mason felt Hawk he reached out for his arm and smiled this big," the post read.
The Florida brothers' parents began a Facebook page documenting the boys' journey in hospital since birth when doctors diagnosed Hawk with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia.
He underwent a number of surgeries to try and fix the defect which left him with a hole in his diaphragm which allowed organs to move inside his body.
Thousands were following the boys' journey, but were delivered sad news on Wednesday (local time) after Hawk died in hospital.
"He went peacefully and we know he's no longer suffering," the post reads.
It was met with thousands of messages of condolences.
Newshub.
