there are MANY!!! plants that will not root in water before they rot.....
Yes if all the rot is removed they should root but keep the soil DAMP not wet & mist the leaf several times a day....

they should easily root. the ends might have been crushed instead of cut properly or she cut them when it was too hot out or you didnt cut close enough to a node

they should root in water, mine did. but recutting and putting it in the ground should work

even better idea, see if she will let you bend a branch down so that you can have it root by ground layering