ESMERALDAS, Ecuador -- Two Bend residents traveling in South America were attacked in this coastal community in Ecuador, according to their family.

Britt Leis, 35, arrived Tuesday afternoon at Loma Linda Medical Center in California, where his sister Amber is on the medical staff, according to his stepmother. Leis was back on U.S. soil Tuesday morning in Miami, Fla., where the plane was preparing to fly to California.

Ana Maria Cisneros, the doctor who attended to Leis in Quito, confirmed that he was evacuated to the U.S. early Tuesday.

U.S. Embassy information officer Martha Youth confirmed Tuesday that two Americans were attacked and said the embassy has worked with the hospital to ensure quality care.

"We were really shocked, it was a horrible incident," Youth told The Associated Press. "We express our deepest sympathies to the victims and their families."

Leis was stabbed 18 times between his neck and small intestine. His fiancee, Leah Koehn, 24, was assaulted but managed to go for help after the attack Thursday, said Shawn Leis, Britt's stepmother, who lives in Sisters with Britt's father Ronald.

On Friday, Koehn managed to get Leis transported to the capital city of Quito, Shawn Leis said.

"Leah is fluent in Spanish," she said. "By the grace of God, she's a medical translator. Before they left, she was working for St. Charles Medical Center. We couldn't have asked for a better companion in this situation."

Britt Leis underwent surgery Sunday night in Quito, Shawn Leis said. Koehn managed to post to the couple's blog this morning.

"Britt and I were brutally attacked last Thursday," she wrote. "His condition started out as very serious and has gradually gotten even more so. He is in intensive care following three surgeries, and before the last one, last night, I was informed by the head surgeon that there is no certainty that he will survive. That being said, he was conscious and talking last night, and I have continued to be amazed by his strength."

"His condition worsened over the weekend," said Tom Towslee with Sen. Ron Wyden's office Portland. The family has been talking with the office about the situation.

"Apparently he's developed some infection from his wounds," Towlsee said. "His father desperately wants him to get life flighted back to the United States. The important thing is we're going to get him back to the United States and get him some proper medical care."

Shawn Leis said the family believes other Americans were targeted on Thursday. KVAL.com has not been able to verify this information yet.

The couple had set out to spend six months to a year amongst the people of South America and hoped to find a way to help the people, Shawn Leis said.

"When they were set out on a journey of hope and help, gave up their jobs, saved their money -- that's really hard," Shawn Leis said.

Now the couple has mounting medical bills. The Britt Leis Medical Assistance Fund has been set up at Bank of America.

According to the State Department Web site, at least 10 U.S. citizens have been kidnapped near Ecuador's border with Colombia since 1998.  One U.S. citizen was murdered in January 2001.

"The U.S. Embassy in Quito advises caution when traveling to the northern border region of Ecuador, to include areas in the provinces of Sucumbios, Orellana and Carchi and northern Esmeraldas," the site says.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.