Now Student Losing Hands to Flesh-Eating Infection

The Georgia grad student who already lost her left leg to amputation will now lose her hands and her right foot to save her from a flesh-eating infection. Aimee Copeland's life turned into a nightmare after a zip-line cut her calf during a kayaking trip. Shortly afterward she was felled by the often lethal necrotizing fasciitis, likely caused by Aeromonas hydrophila, a bacteria found in fresh water. She's "very responsive" now after a battle for her life, but faces further amputation because the infection has already destroyed more blood vessels, according to a Psychology Department blog at the University of West Georgia, where the 24-year-old grad student was studying.

Her family is hopeful she will survive the devastating bacteria. "Seeing Aimee this morning was so refreshing," her sister, Paige, wrote yesterday on Facebook. "Her eyes are wide open and she is nodding or shaking her head to the questions we ask. My hope for her recovery is stronger than ever!" A "Love Aimee" vigil was held last night on the campus, and students were offering blood at JMS Burn Center in Augusta, where Copeland has been hospitalized since last week, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution. (More Aimee Copeland stories.)