Aimee Copeland Enters Rehab As Family Prepares For Homecoming

Aimee Copeland has entered a Georgia rehabilitation center as she continues her remarkable recovery from a deadly flesh-decaying bacteria.

The 24-year-old, who left Doctor’s Hospital in Augusta on Monday, will spend the next six to eight weeks in rehab. After she contracted the rare flesh-decaying bacteria Necrotizing Fasciitis, surgeons had to amputate her left leg at the hip, as well as cut off her right foot and both hands. At rehab, the University of West Georgia student will relearn vital life skills, before she is fitted with prosthetic limbs in August.

Aimee contracted the bacteria after suffering from a wound when she fell from a homemade zip line on May 1. Since then, she has defied wider medical prognosis to stage a recovery.

Meanwhile, at her parents’ Snellville home, work has begun on renovations and extensions that will accommodate Aimee’s needs once she leaves rehab.

The developments include a dedicated two-story wing designed by Norcross architect Rob Ponder with her specific needs in mind, her father revealed to Channel 2 Action News. After being moved by Copeland’s tale, Ponder has volunteered his services, and other volunteers have offered to help build the wing.

These include remodeling contractor Casey Moon and Jason Chapman, of Real Tree Services. Both were at the Copeland family home Tuesday, where Moon said:

“It touched me from day one and when I saw an opportunity to help I couldn’t pass it up.”

The 1,800 square-foot wing will include two floors with an elevator, as well as a bedroom, upstairs fitness room, a sun room and a study. Aimee’s father, Andy Copeland, told the news service:

“We’ll have actually a fitness room where she can do yoga. She can also exercise.”

It’s hoped the study will assist Copeland in finishing her master’s degree in psychology.