What phone is it? If an iphone, icloud contact syncing/backup is usually on by default.  If she needs a new phone, restoring it from what ever backup she may have done, whenever, will restore the contacts. 
You really cannot tell people enough about backing up.  A mate lost 1000s of photos because he ignored my lectures. Serves him right  

  If people choose to be ignorant about their digital lives, that’s the consequence  
