SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A San Diego woman lost her arms and legs following complications from emergency surgery, and her husband is now asking for skilled volunteers to help modify their home before she is discharged from the hospital.
Leslie Caoili was a healthy, competitive strength athlete who competed throughout San Diego before May 1st changed everything. She underwent an eight-and-a-half-hour emergency surgery to repair a tear in her aorta — the main artery from the heart.
Her husband, Lee Caoili, said the couple had gone in for a routine heart checkup when doctors found the tear.
"Most people who suffer an aortic dissection usually happens pretty quickly, and they don't survive. So the surgery was necessary in order to save her life. She probably had maybe hours left to live, and we wouldn't even, we didn't even know it," Lee said.
The surgery saved Leslie's life, but complications that followed altered it permanently. She lost blood flow to her hands and feet in the weeks after the procedure.
"We didn't really know how her body was gonna respond to the initial surgery, but she ended up losing blood flow to her hands and her feet, and by the end of the first month there, her hands and her feet were blackened and shriveled," Lee said.
Because of the loss of blood flow to her limbs, Leslie's hands were amputated at the mid-forearm, and she lost her legs as well.
"Every day has been a battle for her. Every day has been a fight," Lee said.
Lee has remained by his wife's side throughout her months-long hospital stay. Now, with her discharge approaching, the family says their home is not ready and needs major repairs and modifications to accommodate Leslie's needs.
The family is asking for skilled volunteers, including carpenters, electricians, HVAC technicians, roofers, flooring installers, and painters.
For Lee, the work means far more than fixing a house.
"She just wants to come home to her family and her kids and her dog and me and wants to get back to living life as normal as we can make it for her," Lee said.
Lee said he is getting through the ordeal with the support of their family and community, and he hopes Leslie will have a safe and accessible home waiting for her when she is discharged.
Leslie and Lee are parents to two daughters.
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