Lori Symonds

Help Her Breathe Again.

A double lung transplant is not the end of the journey, it’s the beginning of a life-long climb. Your support makes this climb possible. Every breath and every step counts.

Family and friends of Lori Symonds are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund ongoing care and medical and living expenses associated with her double lung transplant and being unable to work while recovering. Lori has chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live in part because donations are tax deductible for contributors and will only be used to cover medical and related expenses. This campaign is designed to cover one full year of essential living and medical expenses. Giving Lori the stability and peace of mind to focus entirely on her recovery, each new breath of life and living it to the fullest with her beloved family.

Life after a Double Lung Transplant:

On the evening of December 8th 2025, Lori Symonds got the call and reported to Mayo Clinic Phoenix. After a short time on the transplant waitlist, a compatible donor had been found. By 4 pm on December 9th, she was in recovery and officially the 5th successful lung transplant patient of the newly-minted Mayo lung transplant program in Arizona. The purest form of a true blessing.

A loving mother to 3 beautiful daughters, Lori’s family means everything to her. Upon waking up with her girls and sister by her side and her family close by sending her prayers–her steep, steady climb officially began. Encouraged every step of the way by her expert Mayo care team, doctors and surgeons, Lori immediately started making huge strides–and she hasn’t slowed down since.

We asked Lori to share words of wisdom that keep her going through her challenging transplant journey and what she looks forward to most:

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” -Confucius

Lori: 

“It’s truly been a miracle receiving a lung transplant. I will be forever grateful to the donor family and the hard decisions they made regarding the wonderful gift their loved one has selflessly given me. I can watch my children marry and have children of their own, I get to one day hold my grandchildren. See the sights I always wanted to see, take the trips I’ve always wanted to take, and speak the words I’ve always wanted to say. I focus and work hard to be healthy for my girls and to make the most of every precious breath. 

While I have nothing but great and beautiful things ahead, the road has been a long, hard, painful and expensive one. I have many medications I will be on for the rest of my life–A life I have by the pure grace of others . Financially I need to prepare long-term to care for this precious gift of a second chance at life.”

Walking with this miracle comes with a lifetime of medical costs, medications and monitoring that can be financially devastating. After a successful procedure the uphill starts: staying healthy, managing appointments, navigating medication changes and complications all the while maintaining an overwhelming list of monthly expenses without being able to work. Anti-rejection medications alone can cost $10,000-$30,000 per month, and any infection or complication can mean emergency hospitalizations and additional procedures. Insurance helps, but as many know, it’s far from covering everything.

Lori is just like your mother or aunt, your sister or daughter or neighbor or best friend. She loves cooking, reading, traveling, arts & crafts, quality time with loved ones, puzzles and watching the sun rise and watching it set. She loves the feeling of the Earth beneath her feet and the inexplicable sensation of air abundantly flowing through her body again. 

Our family firmly believes in the “Pay it Forward” philosophy. We hope that the support and awareness Lori’s campaign brings will also lift up the other lung transplant patient cases at Mayo–a very special group of people that Lori is active in and proud to be a part of. We look forward to the hope and stability this fundraiser can bring her and others like her. We’re excited and hopeful for the promising partnerships, community connections and special outcomes that lie ahead with Give to Lori’s Lungs and Help Hope Live.