Flesh-eating disease victim gets prosthetic hands

Flesh-eating disease victim gets prosthetic hands

ATLANTA â€" A metro Atlanta woman who lost both hands, her left leg and right foot after contracting a flesh-eating disease was on her way back from Ohio today after being fitted with prosthetic hands.

Aimee Copeland, 25, is returning from Hilliard, Ohio, where she was fitted with a pair of bionic hands with 24 programmable functions that will improve her dexterity, her father, Andy, told the Associated Press.

Copeland of Snellville contracted a rare infection called necrotizing fasciitis in May 2012 after falling from a zip line and gashing her leg.

She spent part of the week at Touch Bionics being fitted for the prosthetic hands that her father says will be controlled by her muscle movements and arm positions.

“All four days she sent us videos of things she could do,” Copeland said. “The second day she was moving water between cups. On the third day she was cutting a cucumber. On the fourth day she was doing more typical things, like applying makeup to her face and more personal things.”