Fresh from a national TV appearance inspired by her harrowing fight with flesh-destroying bacteria, Aimee Copeland met Friday evening with friends and neighbors on the Snellville Town Green to thank them for their support through her ordeal.
Speaking with Channel 2 Action News before taking the stage, Copeland said she hopes to graduate from college on time – she's working on her master's thesis in psychology – and spoke candidly about her injuries and her frustrations at not being able to do certain things yet.
“It’s like I said earlier — if we never struggle, we never grow,” she said. “So through my frustrations, there’s always something to be learned.”
Speaking to a gathering in Snellville City Hall before the outdoor event, Copeland said, “They say it takes a village, and I think in my case it’s never been as true. … I felt you guys with me every step of the way with all of your thoughts and prayers, so I just can’t say thank you enough.”
Outside, the Nick Savage Band played a song written especially for Copeland, followed by a meet-and-greet. Hundreds of residents lined up for a chance to talk briefly with her as she sat beneath a white canopy. Many shared hugs and laughs with the young woman.
Bobby Howard, a Snellville City Council member, told Channel 2 that Copeland and her family wanted “to thank the community for the outpouring of love and support,” while the community wanted “to see her live and in person.”
Another Snellville resident, Ronnie Bentley, said of Copeland, “She’s a courageous individual, and it just takes a lot of willpower to do what she’s done.”
The 24-year-old Snellville woman was a guest Tuesday on Katie Couric’s new talk show, “Katie.” Walking slowly on stage on a prosthetic foot, assisted by a walker, it was her first public appearance in nearly four months of hospitalization and strenuous physical rehabilitation.
The University of West Georgia graduate student contracted a rare infection called necrotizing fasciitis in May after falling from a zip line along the Little Tallapoosa River near Carrollton and gashing her leg on the rocks below.
Bacteria entered through the wound, and its toxins did extensive damage.
To save her life, physicians at Doctors Hospital in Augusta had to amputate Copeland’s left leg at the hip, her right foot and hands. Surgeons also removed part of her torso, and performed grafts to replace skin that was removed.
Copeland left the hospital in late June, underwent intense physical therapy at Atlanta’s Shepherd Center and was released Aug. 22, when she returned to her parent’s home. She settled into a new, $200,000, two-story wing designed for her needs and donated by builder Pulte Homes.
The home addition includes a living room, bedroom, fitness room, sun room, study, three outdoor areas and an elevator. Donations collected at a July fundraiser held by the city of Snellville helped pay the expenses.
Her father, Andy Copeland, announced on his blog this week that he plans to write a book about his daughter’s ordeal.
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