Perfectly Imperfect!

At this week's Southern Association of Workers' Compensation Administrators All Committee Conference in Kiawah (pronounced Key-wah), South Carolina we had an exceptional keynote speaker who was also incredibly inspirational!! Aimee Copeland's story made headline news around the world approximately four years ago from an accident which almost took her life due to a flesh-eating bacteria (necrotizing fasciitis). What makes her story more compelling is that she is now a confident and very accomplished young woman!

How Aimee's journey began was like a day like any other. She was hanging out at her friend's new rental home where they found a homemade zipline in a neighbor's backyard. The wire extended across a small six foot wide creek, which was approximately six feet high and was put together with dog runner cable and bicycle handlebars. The cable breaks and Aimee falls into the creekbed and instantly knows she's injured her calf with a deep, crescent-shaped laceration. She's rushed to the hospital and her wound is closed with twenty-two staples. Two days after her accident, she still feels intense pain, her left leg is purple and decaying. She's rushed to a Georgia hospital and doctors had to make the decision to amputate her entire left leg and part of her abdominal muscle to stop the infection from spreading to other parts of her body. Her vital organs were failing and she was placed on a respirator. Aimee's parents were told by her doctors she had a very slim chance of surviving. Doctors administered vasopressors which restricts blood vessels and increases blood pressure. This drug regimen increased Aimee's chances of survival because it helps to bring oxygen-rich blood to her organs while restricting it from her lower extremities. Thus doctors, her parents and Aimee had to make the agonizing choice to amputate her lower right leg and both hands.

What I find most remarkable about Aimee's story is what she has been able to accomplish after surviving her injury and traumatic experience. After she completed many months of intensive rehabilitation to re-build her core muscles for transfers, standing and yes...even walking-- she earned not one master's degree but two of them! Prior to her injury, Aimee was enrolled at West Georgia University working towards earning her master's degree in psychology. She's a determined young woman who didn't give up on herself or dreams for her future. Finishing her second master's degree in sociology, Aimee drove unassisted once a month three and a half hours away to Valdosta State University. She has a retrofitted van so she can drive independently and not depend upon others for transportation. Upon graduating this year, Aimee is also gainfully employed at a mental health facility helping others who are in crisis situations. Her goal is to become a licensed social worker and to eventually open her own non-profit organization to counsel others who are going through life-changing and traumatic experiences.

Aimee now lives independently in her own home with a college roommate, has a passion for cooking, goes kayaking and of course has a boyfriend who thinks her body is perfect the way it is!

As Aimee concluded her presentation she reminded each of us, "We are ALL made with imperfections and there is so much beauty in our flaws. It's not about what you have, it's what you DO with what you have is what really counts." Her message of compassion, determination, faith and beauty were truly an inspiration! To learn more about Aimee Copeland's journey, go to her Facebook page: Aimee Copeland