San Diego woman missing her arms and legs after going in for emergency heart surgery

The husband of a San Diego County woman who lost both arms and legs after emergency heart surgery is asking skilled volunteers to help modify their home before she leaves the hospital. Leslie Caoili has spent months recovering from the surgery and subsequent complications. Her husband, Amery Lee Caoili, says their Spring Valley home needs significant work to accommodate her return, according to ABC 10News.

Caoili, a 41-year-old competitive strength athlete and mother of two, went to a routine heart checkup on May 1, 2026. While there, doctors discovered a life-threatening tear in her aorta. She underwent emergency surgery that day, which lasted about eight and a half hours and saved her life.

However, complications after the procedure cut off blood flow to her hands and feet. This eventually led doctors to amputate both of her arms below the elbows and both of her legs.

Caoili had no idea she suffered from a heart condition before the checkup.

Lee Caoili told ABC 10News that Caoili did not know she had a life-threatening condition when she went to her appointment. Aortic dissections occur when a tear develops in the wall of the aorta, the main artery that carries blood from the heart.

Lee Caoili told ABC 10News that an aortic dissection can quickly become fatal. He said doctors performed emergency surgery because Leslie had only hours to live. He said neither of them knew how serious her condition was before the procedure.

Surgeons operated immediately and repaired the tear. Caoili survived the procedure, but her husband said complications during her recovery affected circulation to her hands and feet.

Doctors later amputated Caoili’s hands at the mid-forearm. They also removed both of her legs because of the damage caused by the loss of blood flow.

Before her medical emergency, Caoili competed in strength competitions. She placed second in the Masters Women’s Heavyweight division at San Diego’s Strongest Man and Woman competition in August 2025, according to competition results published by Gegns Gym.

Now, her husband is trying to prepare the family’s home for the next stage of her recovery. The home requires accessibility upgrades before she can return.

Lee Caoili is seeking skilled volunteers, including carpenters, electricians, HVAC technicians, roofers, flooring installers and painters, to help complete the work. “Every day has been a battle for her. Every day has been a fight,” he told the station.

The couple has two daughters, and Caoili’s husband said his wife wants to return to her family after months in the hospital. “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 told the media.

The family has also launched a GoFundMe to help cover expenses related to Caoili’s medical recovery and accessibility needs. In a separate case, a Florida woman also recently lost most of her leg after a bacterial infection caught while swimming.