Mom lost 3 children in car crash, then had triplets – now she’s been diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer

The story of the Coble family has long served as a profound, if harrowing, testament to the endurance of the human spirit. After surviving an unimaginable tragedy nearly two decades ago and finding a miracle in the wake of despair, the family is once again confronting a catastrophic health crisis. Chris Coble recently shared the heartbreaking news that his wife, Lori, has been diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. The Cobles first entered the national consciousness in May 2007 following a freeway accident that defied description. On May 4, while Lori sat in stationary traffic in her minivan, a large commercial truck slammed into the rear of her vehicle at high speed. Inside the van were the couple’s three children: 5-year-old Kyle Christopher, 4-year-old Emma Lynn, and 2-year-old Katie Gene. None of the children survived the impact. In an instant, the Cobles’ world was shattered.

A Tragedy in Chapters

The details of that day remain as searing now as they were then. With Lori injured and the children transported to separate hospitals, Chris had to navigate a waking nightmare. Emma and Katie passed away before Lori regained consciousness. When she finally woke, Chris rushed her to the hospital where their son, Kyle, was being treated, but the prognosis was terminal.

In an emotional interview with Oprah Winfrey, Chris recalled the moment Lori said goodbye to her only son. “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.’”

Chris described the finality of that moment with haunting clarity: “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.”

The Miracle of the Triplets

In the depths of their grief, Lori and Chris made a sacred pact. Despite feeling they had no reason to go on, they vowed not to end their lives, promising instead to support one another through the trauma.

Driven by a persistent desire to parent again, the couple turned to In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). In a turn of events that felt like a gift from their late children, doctors identified three viable embryos: two girls and one boy. In May 2008, almost exactly one year after the accident, the Cobles welcomed triplets.

The years that followed were a complex tapestry of healing and hidden pain. “It took me over four years to come out of the fog,” Chris told People Magazine. “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. I’d go into the other room and cry real quick and come back and put a smile on my face.”

A New Battle: Stage 4 Glioblastoma

For years, the family found a semblance of peace, but in June 2025, Chris noticed subtle, concerning changes in Lori’s motor skills. She became uncharacteristically clumsy, dropping glasses and stumbling. By July, when she began exhibiting stroke-like symptoms including facial drooping, the situation became impossible to ignore.

A battery of tests revealed a large, highly aggressive Stage 4 glioblastoma. “I was hoping we were done with the life-changing, life-altering disasters,” Chris told People.

Since the diagnosis, Lori has endured a grueling medical roller coaster. Following a major surgery, she suffered a setback in mid-November when a significant brain infection was discovered, necessitating further intervention. While her cognitive abilities have recently shown signs of improvement as the infection clears, Lori has made it clear she wishes for no further surgeries.

Coming Home

The family has now made the difficult decision to transition Lori to hospice care. Family friend Becky Leonard explained that the goal is comfort and proximity to those she loves. “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,” Leonard said.

The financial burden of this transition is immense, with home health care costs estimated at $30,000 per month. Chris, who has been on an unpaid leave of absence since September, has established a GoFundMe campaign to help manage the expenses. To date, the community has rallied to raise approximately $278,000.

“My wife as I knew her is gone,” Chris said of the toll the cancer has taken. “Everything she’s gone through, she has been punched when she’s down over and over… The fact that she’s still alive is amazing. She’s been through so much.”

As the Coble family faces this latest storm, they do so with the same resilience that has defined them for eighteen years—leaning on a community that has watched them survive the unthinkable.