Georgia Woman Fights for Life from Flesh Eating Bacteria

A young Georgia woman is fighting for her life after she accidentally fell from a homemade zipline. Aimee Copeland is fighting to survive after her fall quickly led to a series of unlikely but brutal events that left her with an amputated leg. She is still in the hospital recovering with her family by her side.

Copeland was on a kayaking trip with friends when she tried to cross a river in Georgia on a homemade zipline. The line broke and Copeland fell to the rocks below, suffering a gash to her leg. Doctors at the local emergency room closed her wound up with about two dozen staples but the young woman developed an infection just a few days later. On May 4, Copeland was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh eating bacteria. Apparently, the bacteria that causes necrotizing fasciitis entered Copeland's wound when she fell. The bacteria, called Aeromonas Hydrophilia, commonly lives in warm waters but it is very rare for a human to become infected to the extent that Copeland did.

Aeromonas Hydrophilia enter the body and quickly reproduce, cutting off blood supply and leading to destroyed muscle, fat and skin tissue. Commonly, doctors have to remove the infected parts of the body to prevent death from occurring. Copeland's left leg was amputated shortly after her diagnosis and she will likely also lose her other foot and both hands. Her family is hopeful that she will survive although doctors originally told them that the chances were slim to none.