MMA Fighter Marcus Kowel Becomes a Father Again After 15-Month-Old Son Killed by Drunk Driver

Marcus Kowal, the MMA fighter whose first son was tragically killed by a drunk driver, is a father again.

Kowal appeared on The Doctors with his wife, Mishel, and their 3-month-old baby boy, Nico. He was born a year after 15-month-old Liam was killed.

“He’s been a blessing and he has really helped us on this healing journey,” Mishel said, reports PEOPLE.

“It’s important for him to know that he’s his own person and he never feels that he lives in the shadow of his brother, but he’s proud of his older brother and knows of his older brother,” Kowal added.

The couple have struggled to continue without Liam, but they said he helped save lives through organ donations. They also launched Liam’s Life to raise awareness of the dangers of drunk driving and the importance of becoming a registered organ donor.

Mishel said Liam’s name means “the people’s protector,” but they never expected Liam to help others at 15 months old.

“When we named him — and this was not the way we had hoped for him to be a protector — but he’s already saved lives directly by donating his organs but also just from the people that reached out to us around the world pledging to never drink and drive again,” she told The Doctors.

Liam died at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center on Sept. 4, 2016. He was in a stroller when a car struck him and his 15-year-old aunt near a crosswalk. His aunt suffered an injured leg, but Liam was found at the scene without a pulse.

“I want to thank everyone who has been there for us, in all forms and shapes,” Kowal wrote on Facebook after his son’s death. “Thoughts, prayers, in person – whatever. We’ve received 100s and 100s of txt messages, emails, fb messages, etc – we are blown away. Your support means the world to us.”

According to Entertainment Tonight, Nico’s parents said his name means “the people’s victory.”

Photo credit: Facebook/ Marcus Kowal