When 46-year-old teacher Emily Presley walked into her doctor’s office, she thought she had a simple cold. Within weeks, she was fighting for her life.

Emily, a devoted mother of two from Lexington, Kentucky, had always been the picture of health — a woman full of kindness, laughter, and energy. But in May 2022, everything changed. What began as mild congestion turned into a deadly infection that left her lungs failing. Doctors placed her on a machine that kept her heart and lungs working for over four months.

Her husband, Jeff Presley, never left her side. “Time after time she defied the odds,” he said. “Who could possibly overcome such a trial? Emily.” After two double-lung transplants just days apart, she finally returned home for Thanksgiving, grateful to hold her children again and whisper, “It’s wonderful to be home.”

But fate had other plans. Her body grew weaker, and after 18 weeks on a ventilator, Emily passed away peacefully at 4 a.m., surrounded by love. Her family is now asking mourners to wear bright colors — to celebrate the brilliant light she was, not the darkness she endured.

Because Emily didn’t just teach in a classroom. She taught everyone who knew her what grace looks like in its purest form.