(Aimee Copeland/Facebook)
Aimee Copeland, the Georgia woman defied the odds to survive contracting a flesh-eating bacteria in 2012, shared an inspiring message and photo Monday on Facebook.
“It has taken me a long time to become comfortable with and accept my new body,” she said. “We are ALL made of imperfections and there is so much beauty in our flaws. The scars and skin grafting build character!”
Copeland, 28, shared the message along with a photo of herself in a bikini while vacationing in Puerto Rico, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
After the Atlanta woman contracted the bacteria, also called necrotizing fasciitis, during a ziplining accident in the Little Tallapoosa River in Georgia and Alabama, doctors had to amputate her left leg, right foot, and both of her hands.
She underwent multiple surgeries, and completed physical therapy and rehabilitation. Today, she’s working toward a second master’s degree, in social work, and has dedicated her life to advocacy work and motivational speaking.
“What you do with what you have is what really counts,” Copeland wrote in the Facebook post. As of Wednesday morning, her post had garnered nearly 9,000 likes and almost 700 comments.
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