A 24-year-old woman is in a critical condition as she continues to battle a vicious flesh-eating infection contracted after a zip-lining accident.
Aimee Copeland, of Georgia, had one of her legs amputated at the hip and is facing further amputation of her hands and remaining foot.
Copeland was kayaking with friends in the Little Tallapoosa River, in Georgia on May 1 when had a go on a homemade zipline. She fell and gashed her leg.
The masters student at University of West Georgia Psychology subsequently developed necrotizing fasciitis, a bacterial infection which destroys soft tissue. The initial amputation was carried out on 4 May.
Scroll down for more pictures of Aimee Copeland and information about how to help her
She was placed on life support thereafter, but gradually regained consciousness. The blood vessels in her hands and her remaining foot have since died, making further amputations necessary, a post on an official site for news of Copeland's progress said.
It is hoped the palms of her hands will survive. A spokesman at the Joseph M Still Burn Centre Hospital, in Augusta, said: “All I can say is Aimee is still in critical condition.”
There was a glimmer of hope on Sunday in a Facebook message posted by her father Andy, which read: “Aimee is being Aimee. She’s cracking jokes, speaking frankly, displaying her usual early morning grumpiness and she has been off of the ventilator for over 10 hours.”
To join Copeland’s fight, you can make a cheque donation to United Community Bank, c/o Aimee’s Fund 119 Maple Street, Carrollton, GA 30117. Find out how you can make donations via PayPal here.