'Let's Do This!' Girl Battling Flesh-Eating Disease Bravely Faces More Amputations
May 18 2012, Published 10:00 a.m. ET
By Debbie Emery - RadarOnline.com Reporter
The Georgia girl whose body is being ravaged by a flesh-eating bacteria bravely gave the OK when her parents broke the news to her that she would have to lose her hands and right foot.
Aimee Copeland, 24, of Snellville, Georgia, is now awake and alert but remains in critical condition battling the hideous infection, after falling from a home-made zip line into infected water near the Little Tallapoosa River on May 1.
She suffered a deep gash in her calf and despite it being cleaned and closed with 22 staples, a bacteria burrowed deep into the wound and caused necrotizing fasciitis, forcing surgeons to amputate her left leg.
Copeland's parents told her Thursday that the doctors want to remove her hands and remaining foot, reported the Atlanta Journal Constitution and the brave student replied that she was a “little confused but would figure it out.”
"She smiled and raised her hands up, carefully examining them," father Andy Copeland wrote on his Facebook page on Friday. "She then looked at us. We all understood her next three words... ‘Let’s do this.’”
Aimee’s dad explained how they had come to expect the inevitable after watching the startling transformation in her hands over the past few days.
“They went from a splotchy purple color to a red tone and then to a pinkish flesh tone... back to an angry red,” he wrote. “The doctor explained that her body was trying hard to heal her hands, but the blood flow was too poor.”
Andy said he was blown away by the strength of his daughter when he explained to her, “Aimee, these hands are not healthy, they are hampering your progress.
“I have never seen such a strong display of courage,” he revealed. “Aimee shed no tears, she never batted an eyelash. I was crying because I am a proud father of an incredibly courageous young lady.”
The bacteria that triggered the infection destroying the University of West Georgia Psychology student’s body, Aeromonas hydrophila, thrives in warm climates and fresh water. While common, the germ rarely causes flesh-eating disease. But when it does, the infection carries a fatality rate upward of 60 percent, according to a 2010 report published in the Journal Clinical Microbiology Reviews.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
RELATED STORIES:
New Butt Implant Disaster: Infections Cost Woman All Her Limbs
Lauren Scruggs’ Parents: She’s Doing ‘Remarkable’ 4 Months After Walking Into Plane Propeller
Disfigured Model Lauren Scruggs Bravely Reveals Amputated Limb
Heroic Mother Loses Legs Saving Children From Tornado
