Woman battling flesh-eating bacteria is now able to speak

Woman battling flesh-eating bacteria is now able to speak

ATLANTA â€" A young Georgia woman battling a flesh-eating disease was able to speak Sunday for the first time since she was taken to an Augusta hospital more than three weeks ago, her father said Monday.

"Hello. Whoa. Wow, my mind is blown," were Aimee Copeland's first words to her sister and mother, her father told the Associated Press. Andy Copeland was in church and had to wait until Sunday evening to hear his daughter's voice.

Aimee Copeland, 24, developed necrotizing fasciitis after cutting her leg May 1 in a fall from a homemade zip line over a river. Her left leg, right foot and both hands have been amputated.

When her father finally got into Copeland's room about 5 p.m. Sunday, he asked how she felt. "It feels weird being able to talk," she said.