Student Hit by Flesh-Eating Bacteria Gets Bionic Hands

Aimee Copeland continues recovery
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 18, 2013 11:23 AM CDT

A Georgia woman who lost both hands, her left leg, and her right foot after contracting a flesh-eating disease has been fitted with prosthetic hands. Aimee Copeland, 25, has been fitted with a pair of hands with 24 programmable functions that will improve her dexterity. She got the "i-limbs" from Touch Bionics of Ohio in exchange for serving as an ambassador of sorts for the company. Normally, they cost about $120,000 each.

"I really want to be able to get back in the kitchen and start cooking some delicious vegetarian meals for myself," the grad student tells CNN. Copeland contracted a rare infection called necrotizing fasciitis in May 2012 after falling from a zip line and gashing her leg. She spent two months at a rehab clinic in Atlanta, learning to move, eat, and bathe without prosthetics, and now lives in a newly constructed wing of her parents' home. She hopes to have a prosthetic leg later this year. (Read more Aimee Copeland stories.)

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