Lori Coble and her husbad lost their three children in a devastating traffic accident. The couple supported each other through an unimaginable tragedy, and years later had a new set of triplets through IVF. Now, Lori has announced the heartbreaking news that she’s been diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer.
In May 2007, Lori Coble and her husband, Chris, experienced a tragedy no one should ever have to endure. While standing still in traffic on the freeway on May 4, a big rig slammed into the back of her minivan.
In the car were Lori and Chris’ three children – 5-year-old Kyle Christopher, 4-year-old Emma Lynn, and 2-year-old Katie Gene. None of the children survived the crash, and life would never ever be the same.
The children were taken to different hospitals, and Lori was also injured. Emma and Katie died before Lori woke up. Chris then rushed Lori to the hospital where Kyle was being treated, but it was too late.
Chris recalled in in interview with Oprah, “She’s climbing out of the wheelchair the best she can to hug Kyle and saying: ‘He’s got to go be with his sisters now. His sisters are waiting for him.
“We stopped life support, and the machines went dark and the room went dark. I held my hand on his chest until his heart stopped beating. And he was gone,” he added.
Lori Coble and husband Chris welcomed triplets after their children died in car crash
Lori and her husband decided to make a pact. Although their lives were completely destroyed, feeling there was no reason to live, they made a pact that they would ot end their lives and instead support each other fully throughout the traumatic experience.
As they mourned their children, they felt they wanted to be parents again. Although Chris had had a vasectomy, they pursued IVF. Not long after, they saw three viable embryos: two girls and one boy, just like their three late children.
A year after the death of Kyle, Emma and Katie passed away, and Chris and Lori welcomed their triplets.
“It took me over four years to come out of the fog and pain of what happened. The first three years of raising the triplets you have this mix of joy and happiness, and at the same time, you’re in pain on the inside, Chris told People Magazine.
“There’s these three babies and they’re all joy…. But at the same time, I was trying to avoid falling apart in front of them, I’d go into the other room and cry real quick and come back and put a smile on my face.”
A family friend, Becky Leonard, said about Lori, “She is extraordinary — everybody who knows her, loves her. First and foremost, she’s a mom.”
The Coble family has gone through an experience that’s hard to put into words. And now, another heartbreak has struck. In June 2025, Chris noticed that Lori was “getting more clumsy,” as she often dropped glasses on the floor, stubbed her toes on chairs, and so on.
Lori was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer
Some weeks later, he noticed she had stroke-like symptoms as her “mouth started to droop a little bit.” It became “too much to ignore.”
In mid-July, Lori Coble was diagnosed with a large, very aggressive, stage 4 glioblastoma, brain cancer.
“I was hoping we were done with the life-changing, life-altering disasters where life as you knew it yesterday is gone,” Chris told People.
Since then, Lori has undergone a roller-coaster treatment with both positive and negative results. In mid-November, doctors discovered she had a large infection in hr brain, which required another surgery.
As of lately, the infection is improving, and Chris said Lori’s cognitive abilities have improved. She’s stated she doesn’t want any more surgeries, and the family has made the decision to bring her home for hospice care.
“She wants to be home with the family and dogs, so we are grateful they can create a more advanced hospital space in the house,” family friend Becky Leonard explained.
“My wife as I knew her is gone”
Chris Coble has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for home health care, which costs around $ 30,000 a month. He’s been on an unpaid leave of absence since September.
“My wife as I knew her is gone, and I don’t know that she’s ever coming back to be the person I knew,” he says. “Everything she’s gone through, she has been punched when she’s down over and over and over and over. The fact that she’s still alive is amazing. She’s been through so much.”
At the time of writing, the family has raised around $278.000.
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