My name is Maximus Oberto, and I’m writing this for my girlfriend, Aubrie Fowler. An athletic, strong-willed, ocean- loving woman whose determination has carried her through one of the most frightening experiences of her life. We’ve been together for almost two years now, and she is truly the person I love more than anything. 

Aubrie is 34 years old, a divemaster, and has been a seasonal kayak guide for the Santa Barbara Adventure Company on Santa Cruz Island off the coast of Ventura, CA for eight years. She is also a dedicated conservationist who has worked for the Marine Protected Area (MPA) Collaborative Network, a California nonprofit that protects coastal communities and helps ensure the long-term sustainability of our marine protected areas throughout the state for six years. She has two younger brothers who adore her. 

And right now, she needs help.

On November 22, while scuba diving off Bohol Island in the Philippines, Aubrie began to feel that something wasn’t quite right. Her chest felt off during the dive, exhaustion after diving isn’t unusual, so she tried not to overthink it. She had no idea that within hours, her body would be hit by a potentially life threatening case of decompression sickness—what divers know as the "bends".

The next morning, everything changed. She woke up to chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing, tingling in her arms and extremities, and intense joint and muscle pain. As a trained divemaster, Aubrie knew immediately what was happening. She also knew how dangerous it was. Untreated decompression sickness can cause permanent neurological damage, paralysis, and, in the worst cases, can be fatal. She needed a hyperbaric chamber immediately.

But she was alone. This was a solo dive trip to the Philippines —just Aubrie, sick and scared, in a foreign country trying to deal with a potentially life-threatening illness.

She found a dive resort worker who helped get her on oxygen and an IV. She then contacted DAN, the divers alert network, the organization that every diver knows can coordinate evacuations for divers in medical emergencies. She explained all her symptoms and her urgent need for transport to the nearest hyperbaric chamber on the nearby island of Cebu.

And they failed her.

Despite her textbook symptoms, despite her training, despite her clear and urgent need, the staff dismissed the severity of her condition. They did not evacuate her that day. They downplayed what she was experiencing—and in doing so, they forced Aubrie to figure out her own escape route while her condition persisted.

Desperate, she attempted to book a ferry to Cebu herself. But extreme conditions shut down the ferry system for two full days. Two days later she should have already been in treatment. Two days in which her symptoms could worsen or become permanent.

Yet Aubrie—strong, stubborn, and resilient—held on. The moment the ferries resumed, still in pain and short of breath, she boarded one alone and made her way to a hospital with a hyperbaric chamber.

Once again, she wasn’t believed.

The dive doctor dismissed her symptoms as “mild DCS” and even suggested her chest pain was “just anxiety.” They put her through the standard three hyperbaric treatments used for mild decompression sickness. But her symptoms didn’t improve. Her chest pain continued. The tingling continued. The exhaustion continued. And then she developed bladder issues, which are not mild at all—they are classic signs of Type II decompression sickness, the dangerous neurological form.

Still, the dive doctor brushed her concerns aside.

But Aubrie didn’t give up. She knows her body. She knows her training. She knows something was still very wrong. So she sought out another doctor—a cardiologist—hoping they would finally listen.

And this time, someone did.

This cardiologist took her symptoms seriously and immediately began ordering a full set of tests: an MRI of her spine, ultrasounds of her kidneys and bladder, an EKG, an echocardiogram, a stress test, and more. Finally, Aubrie had a doctor who believed her. Once the cardiologist stepped in, even the original dive doctor began to recognize the seriousness of her case.

Now, Aubrie must undergo 7 more hyperbaric chamber treatments, far more than the initial three. These treatments will cost around $10,000. With Decompression Sickness (DCS), she cannot fly home until her symptoms stabilize otherwise she could relapse in flight so she needs this care while in Cebu. The cardiovascular and urinary testing she also needs to insure she can travel safely is expected to cost another $3,000.

Her primary job—her passion—is working for a nonprofit that protects coastal ecosystems. But because it’s a small nonprofit, she doesn’t receive health insurance. Her seasonal job as a kayak guide doesn’t offer coverage either. That means every medical bill, every test, every treatment is adding up quickly.

And her journey doesn’t end when she returns home.

When she gets back to the U.S., she will need to see a neurologist, urologist, and possibly a cardiologist for continued care. She will need further imaging, follow-up testing, or long-term treatment depending on what damage has occurred. These next steps could cost between $10,000 - $20,000 if not more.

Aubrie is one of the strongest people I know. She has spent years fighting to protect oceans, wildlife, and coastal communities. She has devoted her life to helping others— both above and below the water. But now, she needs help.

This GoFundMe is to support Aubrie’s:

• Hyperbaric chamber treatments — $10,000

• Cardiovascular, neurological, and urinary diagnostic testing — $3,000

• Future specialist care in the U.S. — $10,000–$20,000or more

• Essential recovery and travel expenses

Anything you can give—whether it’s $5, $10, $20, or more—will directly support her healing and help relieve the heavy financial burden this medical emergency has placed on her. If you can’t give, maybe you could spread the word to others, share this page.

All I and everyone who loves her, wants for Christmas, truly, is for her to come home safely. Healthy.

Whole.

And able to return to the ocean she loves and protects.

Thank you for reading her story. Thank you for caring. And thank you for helping Aubrie get back home and back to health.

—With hope and gratitude,

Her boyfriend, Maximus Oberto