Woman, 41, has arms and legs amputated after routine checkup takes terrifying turn
A woman who went for what should have been a routine check-up has had both her arms and legs after her health took a concerning turn.
Leslie Caoili, 41, went to the doctors for a routine heart checkup in May when they discovered she had a life-threatening Type A aortic dissection. This is when there is a tear in the main artery coming from her heart.
Caoili, from San Diego, required immediate surgery involving cardiopulmonary bypass and extensive reconstruction of her aorta to keep her alive.
Her family thought the extensive, life-saving surgery would be the end of their concerns. However, she lost blood flow to her hands and feet in the weeks after the procedure.
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“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,” Caoili’s husband Lee said, per ABC.
There was no improvement for her blood circulation and doctors made the decision to amputate her hands at the mid-forearm as well as both of her legs.
"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.
Caoili, a mother of two daughters, had previously competed across San Diego as a strength athlete.
However, Caoili’s house will need to be adjusted to meet her new needs. To ensure the home is accessible, her husband is asking skilled volunteers, including electricians, HVAC technicians, floor installers, roofers and decorators to help transform the 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," Lee told ABC.
A GoFundMe has been established to help raise funds for the home’s overhaul.
“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 explained.
The donations will also help the family cover medical and recovery-related costs and long-term rehabilitation and care needs.
In the description for the fundraiser the family explain Caoili's health: “What was supposed to be a life-saving surgery has turned into the hardest battle of her life.
“She has also suffered severe circulation complications affecting her hands and feet due to the immense strain her body has endured.
“Watching someone you love fight this hard is something no family can ever truly prepare for.
“Leslie is more than a patient in a hospital bed. She is a loving wife, devoted mother, daughter, sister, and friend who has touched so many people with her kindness, strength, and love. She has always been the person others could depend on, and now we are asking for help on her behalf during the most difficult time our family has ever faced.”
Greg Harris