As a Spring Valley woman recovers from a health emergency that resulted in all four of her limbs being amputated, more than a dozen contractors on Friday stepped up to renovate her house for free to make it more accessible when she returns home. Lee Caoili said his wife, Leslie Caoili, had a hist ory of high blood pressure and went in for an appointment with a cardiologist in May. That day, he said she was feeling fine and almost canceled, but he convinced her to go. The cardiologist found a tear in her aorta, he said, and she was whisked into surgery, Lee given long odds of her survival. “I guess it’s called the widowmaker, you know, because it just kills you in an instant and you don’t even know it,” Lee said. “It was very tough,” he continued, “praise be to God because she came out of it. She came out of it alive.” But a few weeks later, Lee said Leslie’s fingers and toes started to turn purple, then black, as necrosis crept up all four of her limbs. Both arms and both legs were amputated, just below her elbows and knees. “It’s devastating,” Lee said. Particularly so, he said, because Leslie was a competitive powerlifter who had recently placed second in a competition in Texas. “She’s a really strong person, inside and out,” Lee said. “She’s not going to give up without a fight, and she’s just an amazing woman, you know? Superwoman, I would say.” Lee said they’re arranging to get her from the hospital into in-patient care where she’ll rehab and hopefully get fitted for prosthetics. He said she’ll likely spend three months there, but before she can come home, he wanted to renovate their house to better accommodate her new needs. “We’re going to have to widen doorways and get a new bathroom, so she can shower comfortably, just make more space” Lee said. “We want more space for her to be mobile and move around. If she has to be in the wheelchair for a while, then she’s going to need to be able to, you know, access the cupboards, access the kitchen sinks, the refrigerator, pantry, you know, stuff like that.” “I’m trying to make it as easy as possible for her to have the most normal life possible,” he added. General contractor Eric Aguilera saw Leslie’s story online and decided he wanted to help, putting out a call on social media for others to join him. He said 20 others – plumbers, painters, builders of all kinds – answered that call. “Seeing everyone just step up and everyone messaging me, ‘We’re here, we’re ready,’ it’s incredible,” Aguilera said. “They need everything. The house definitely needs a full upgrade,” he continued. “But the key, honestly, is just making it functional for Leslie.” On Friday, those 20 contractors came to scope out the house and make plans to complete the work – at no cost to the Caoilis. “It was just like, a huge relief,” Lee said. “We didn’t have the necessary funds to do everything that needed to be done for this house to make her comfortable and to see him step up and step in has been just the ultimate blessing.” “It’s amazing to see that those people exist in the world that want to help, and want to make a difference in other people’s lives,” Lee said. “It’s really, really humbling.” ...read more read less