Emily Presley, Lexington, Kentucky teacher who underwent double lung transplants after developing serious infection dies after 16 months in hospital and valiant fight for life.
A Lexington, Kentucky teacher who underwent a double lung transplant after contracting a rare infection which sidelined her in hospital for more than 16 months has passed away.
Emily Presley, 46, went to the the doctor in May of 2022 with cold-like symptoms. Her husband said before that she was a ‘picture of health’ who rarely got sick.
She ended up in the hospital after developing a severe infection. She spent four months on an advanced ventilator that did the work of her heart and lungs.
‘Time after time she defied the odds,’
The Lexington, Kentucky school teacher eventually suffered from infections that compromised her lungs and had a virus that caused inflammation throughout her body.
The life-threatening condition allows fluid to leak into the lungs, causing breathing to become difficult and depriving the organs of oxygen, hospital officials said.
In October 2022, she had to go through a pair of double lung transplants within days of each other.
It wasn’t until on Thursday that Emily’s husband, Jeff Presley confirmed her death to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
‘Time after time she defied the odds,’ husband told the outlet. ‘Who could possibly overcome such a trial. Emily.’
Despite Emily’s will, her body ultimately could not hold and she died this week.
Emily spent her time impacting her students and the staff at Wellington Elementary in Lexington, Kentucky, – as well as in her own family – before she fell ill.
On May 22, 2022, with a supposed cold, she was taken to the hospital as her blood pressure crashed, her heart rate spiked and her oxygen was low. She was sedated and put in a medically induced coma.
Her condition did not improve and she transferred hospitals as her lungs could not oxygenate her body.
She needed new lungs and had her first transplant. Next to go was Presley’s immune system, which reacted negatively to proteins from the new lungs and was encouraged to have them removed and listed for a transplant again.
‘I told the medical team that Emily and I love our life together. We love our friends. We love our community. So if there’s a chance that she can survive and have good quality of life, then the answer to a second transplant is “yes,”‘ Jeff Presley said.
Would the Lexington, Kentucky teacher make it home one more time?
Within 24 hours, she’d received another match and the transplant had been successful. That allowed her to head home for Thanksgiving 2023.
‘In the midst of agony…there was no defeat,’ Jeff said. ‘Instead, the nurses, the doctors, the (therapists) they’d see a smile.
‘They would hear “thank you.” They would be inspired. They would tell others about this amazing, powerful, wonderful, gracious woman of God that would not give up. Because she was on a mission. A mission to return home with her family in Lexington, Kentucky.’
She celebrated the holiday with her husband and their two children.
‘I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving and I’m so glad my Northwestern Medicine lung transplant team could get me home to share that gratitude with my family, my friends and the Lexington community,’ Emily Presley said at the time.
‘It’s wonderful to be home with my kids and my dog.’
A valiant will for life …
While she had plans to return to teaching, the mom’s health took a turn for the worse again.
Her family confirmed she died surrounded by loved ones around 4am Tuesday morning.
‘She was ready. She was prepared. And it took all she had,’ Jeff said.
Her husband and two teenage children had been helped throughout this ordeal with a GoFundMe which as of early Friday had drawn over $103,000 in donations.
The family will be celebrating her life over the weekend with an open house on Saturday followed by a memorial service. The family requested attendees wear bright colors to ‘represent such a brilliant life.’
‘Emily’s radiance went such a long way and impacted people so deeply,’ sister Leslie Cunningham said.
