A GoFundMe organized by Leslie Caoili’s husband, Amery Lee Caoili, has already raised more than $40,000 toward a $55,000 goal to help cover medical and recovery expenses, long-term rehabilitation, household costs and the work needed to make the family’s home accessible before Leslie is discharged. Caoili, 41, of Spring Valley, went in for what her husband described as a routine heart checkup on May 1 when doctors discovered a Type A aortic dissection, a catastrophic tear in the main artery carrying blood away from the heart.
Her husband told ABC 10News that doctors warned she may have had only hours to live.
“Most people who suffer an aortic dissection usually happens pretty quickly, and they don't survive,” he said. “So the surgery was necessary in order to save her life.”
Caoili underwent an approximately eight-and-a-half-hour emergency operation requiring cardiopulmonary bypass and extensive reconstruction of her aorta. The surgery saved her life, but the weeks that followed brought severe complications.
According to updates posted by her husband through the family’s GoFundMe, Caoili required a ventilator, dialysis and ECMO life support during the early stages of her recovery. Her surgically repaired aorta was functioning and healing, but she developed severe circulation loss affecting multiple areas of her body.
By mid-May, tissue in both of Caoili’s hands and feet had become necrotic as a result of the circulation complications, and doctors warned that amputations could become necessary. Her husband later described watching her hands and feet progressively deteriorate.
“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,” he told ABC 10News.
As Caoili stabilized, doctors began confronting the permanent damage. A June 4 family update said medical teams were no longer discussing whether amputations would be required, but instead when they would occur and how extensive they would need to be.
On June 12, Caoili underwent a roughly six-and-a-half-hour procedure during which surgeons amputated both hands at approximately the mid-forearm and removed additional damaged tissue from her arms. Doctors also treated circulation-related damage affecting her nose and lips. She also ultimately lost both legs.
The medical ordeal has been a dramatic reversal for Caoili, who before May was a competitive strength athlete who participated in events throughout San Diego and was accustomed to pushing her body through demanding training.
Her recovery has nevertheless included several significant improvements. By early June, Caoili had begun eating again, was using a speaking valve on her tracheostomy and had made progress reducing her dependence on dialysis and ventilator support.
“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,” he told ABC 10News.
As Caoili stabilized, doctors began confronting the permanent damage. A June 4 family update said medical teams were no longer discussing whether amputations would be required, but instead when they would occur and how extensive they would need to be.
On June 12, Caoili underwent a roughly six-and-a-half-hour procedure during which surgeons amputated both hands at approximately the mid-forearm and removed additional damaged tissue from her arms. Doctors also treated circulation-related damage affecting her nose and lips. She also ultimately lost both legs.
The medical ordeal has been a dramatic reversal for Caoili, who before May was a competitive strength athlete who participated in events throughout San Diego and was accustomed to pushing her body through demanding training.
Her recovery has nevertheless included several significant improvements. By early June, Caoili had begun eating again, was using a speaking valve on her tracheostomy and had made progress reducing her dependence on dialysis and ventilator support.
A July 10 update from her husband reported that she had been completely off the ventilator for a week and was breathing independently. Her kidney function had also improved enough that she had gone two weeks without dialysis, while several surgical wounds and a skin graft on her left arm were healing well.
“Most importantly, Leslie's spirit remains strong,” her husband wrote. “There are still difficult days, but I remind her often of the strength, resilience, and determination she's shown throughout this journey.”
After spending months in the hospital, Caoili is now nearing discharge. That milestone has created another urgent challenge for the family: making their home safe and accessible for someone whose mobility and daily needs have changed dramatically.
ABC 10News reported that her husband is seeking skilled volunteers including carpenters, electricians, HVAC technicians, roofers, flooring installers and painters to help complete necessary modifications before she returns home.
“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,” he said.
Caoili and her husband have two daughters. The family’s GoFundMe was originally launched while Leslie remained critically ill in the ICU, when her husband described rapidly mounting expenses associated with missed work, hospital care, travel, meals, parking, childcare and the prospect of extensive rehabilitation.
The fundraiser states that donations will be used toward medical and recovery-related expenses, household and family costs and long-term rehabilitation and care needs. As of Sunday, the campaign had collected more than $40,000 from approximately 340 donors.
For the Caoili family, the last several months have included emergency heart surgery, life support, dialysis, multiple operations and ultimately the loss of all four limbs. But the family’s public updates have increasingly focused on the progress that has followed - from breathing independently and recovering kidney function to preparing for the day Leslie can finally leave the hospital.
The family is continuing to accept donations and assistance as it prepares for the next phase of Caoili’s recovery.
For more information or to contribute to the family’s fundraiser, visit the GoFundMe campaign titled “Help Leslie’s Family Through This Crisis.”
Originally published August 23, 2026.
“Most importantly, Leslie's spirit remains strong,” her husband wrote. “There are still difficult days, but I remind her often of the strength, resilience, and determination she's shown throughout this journey.”
After spending months in the hospital, Caoili is now nearing discharge. That milestone has created another urgent challenge for the family: making their home safe and accessible for someone whose mobility and daily needs have changed dramatically.
ABC 10News reported that her husband is seeking skilled volunteers including carpenters, electricians, HVAC technicians, roofers, flooring installers and painters to help complete necessary modifications before she returns home.
“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,” he said.
Caoili and her husband have two daughters. The family’s GoFundMe was originally launched while Leslie remained critically ill in the ICU, when her husband described rapidly mounting expenses associated with missed work, hospital care, travel, meals, parking, childcare and the prospect of extensive rehabilitation.
The fundraiser states that donations will be used toward medical and recovery-related expenses, household and family costs and long-term rehabilitation and care needs. As of Sunday, the campaign had collected more than $40,000 from approximately 340 donors.
For the Caoili family, the last several months have included emergency heart surgery, life support, dialysis, multiple operations and ultimately the loss of all four limbs. But the family’s public updates have increasingly focused on the progress that has followed - from breathing independently and recovering kidney function to preparing for the day Leslie can finally leave the hospital.
The family is continuing to accept donations and assistance as it prepares for the next phase of Caoili’s recovery.
For more information or to contribute to the family’s fundraiser, visit the GoFundMe campaign titled “Help Leslie’s Family Through This Crisis.”
Originally published August 23, 2026.
