MORAGA, Calif. - Under a clear blue sky, not long after the late summer sun had parted the early afternoon clouds, more than 500 people gathered in a wooded amphitheater in Moraga to celebrate a beautiful, hard-fought life.

Laura Zellmer died on July 28. And on Sept.13, her tight-knit community came together to remember the beloved mother, wife, daughter, sister, and courageous advocate who had, time and time again, beaten the odds.

At 51, Zellmer’s life was paradoxically both cut short and extended.

Her full and vibrant life was extended through the love and unfaltering support of her family, her will to survive, the advances of modern science, and the unstintingly generous gifts of three donors who chose to give others life when theirs ended.

Three double lung transplants

Zellme

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