Until the very end, Mandy Brobeck and Oskar Ogorkiewicz feared for the life of their baby. On Friday, however, the German influencer couple had to announce the sad news on Instagram: "Rio was a special baby, but we have to tell you that Rio unfortunately lost the fight."

The boy was just four and a half months old. From birth he suffered from "Ipex Syndrome", a rare autoimmune disease. The hope that a stem cell donation could help him was not fulfilled. "We're lying next to him right now while the machines are about to be turned off. Then Rio will be a little angel," they said in the post announcing the death of their baby.

The couple, known online as "Healthy Mandy" and "Fitnessoskar" and together as "Fitnesscouple", had radiated optimism until recently. "Now we just have to wait until the new stem cells settle in with our son, he starts drinking alone again and we can go home to show him the world," Mandy Brobeck wrote two days earlier on her Instagram account (600,000 followers). There she and her boyfriend had provided regular information about Rio's condition and the next treatment steps. The little one spent a total of 143 days in the hospital and was never able to leave the clinic in his short life.

"May we introduce the greatest fighter of all time," wrote Brobeck and Ogorkiewicz on some family photos the day after their son's death. "Thank you to everyone who believed in Rio and thank you to everyone who is helping us to even begin to get through this time." Numerous other influencers and fans expressed their condolences to the couple and tried to find encouraging words. Now it should be clarified whether the baby's heart can possibly be transplanted.

On YouTube, Brobeck and Ogorkiewicz both post fitness and nutrition videos on their own channels. On their joint channel "Fitnesscouple" they give insights into their couple life. Since their son fell ill, they have also become increasingly involved in health issues and are calling for people to register as stem cell donors.

Sources: healthy_mandy on Instagram / fitnessoskar on Instagram