How a Miami Federal Officer Nearly Lost Her Foot After a Routine Workout

A low-impact exercise led to a rare vascular emergency for customs officer, threatening both her limb and her life

For more than two decades, Chaili Gray has spent her career in uniform, serving the Miami-Dade community with courage, bravery, and perseverance. A Miami Beach resident and a law enforcement officer, Chaili became determined to be a force of strength in her community — both physically and mentally. Because of her dedication to her line of work, Chaili maintains an adventurous and active lifestyle. It was during one of her regular workouts that she found herself in a dire situation.

One day in early January, Chaili began her morning the same as always with a light exercise. After a low-impact session, she started experiencing severe pain in her right leg, as well as numbness and eventually a cold sensation in her foot. By the evening, the pain was so intense that she couldn’t lie.

“I knew something was wrong,” she recalls. “It wasn’t the kind of pain you expect after exercise. This was different.”

Concerned with the seemingly random and worsening symptoms, Chaili made the decision to go to Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Hildebrandt Emergency Center the next morning. Upon arriving, the team at Mount Sinai wasted no time and swiftly responded to her situation. ER physicians asked her a series of questions, aiming to pinpoint what the cause of the symptoms in her leg could be.

Her initial assessments pointed to peripheral artery disease (PAD), a serious condition caused by narrowed arteries that limit blood flow to the arms or legs, often resulting in pain, cramping, coldness, weakness, and a reduced or absent pulse. An ultrasound confirmed arterial insufficiency in her right leg, and Chaili was immediately admitted for further care.

Cue Micheal Ayad, MD, Chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery, Director of the Vascular Institute, and Co-Director of the Aortic Center. Calmly and compassionately, Dr. Ayad explained that Chaili’s PAD was life-threatening and after reviewing her CT scan, emergency surgery was the only option.

Chaili was shocked — as a healthy, active woman, she never expected that this pain would have resulted in the possibility of losing her foot. Despite the sudden and terrifying news, Chaili felt Dr. Ayad’s presence and expertise to be calming and reassuring for both her and her family.

“I was so scared, but the reassurance and dedication of my Mount Sinai care team made me as calm as possible,” she says. “They helped me understand my situation and what needed to be done.”

However, Dr. Ayad was determined to give Chaili the best possible outcome. Through a precise diagnosis and an expert thrombectomy performed by Dr. Ayad and his team, both Chaili’s life and limb were saved. The thrombectomy removed a blood clot from her artery, which restored normal blood flow to her right leg. Through attentive postoperative support from Post-Anesthesia Care Unit nurses, Chaili was able to recover smoothly.

Now, Chaili is back on her feet and once again serving her community. As a key part of her role, she needs to have the full capability of her leg, which she’s rebuilding through her work with Nicki Feist, a physical therapist at Mount Sinai’s Outpatient Rehabilitation program. Together, they focus on targeted strengthening exercises designed not only to restore function but also to prevent future complications.

“I couldn’t be more grateful, both for my surgical team and for the work I’ve done with Nicki during rehab,” she says. “I was faced with a terrifying possibility. But because of Mount Sinai, I’m back on track, doing what I love.”

Click HERE to learn more about Mount Sinai’s Emergency Care and HERE for Mount Sinai’s Outpatient Rehabilitation program.