The saga of Copeland’s courage commenced in May 2012 when, at the age of 24, she embarked on a fateful adventure – a makeshift zip line ride over the Little Tallapoosa River, situated about 50 miles from Atlanta. A sudden line snap led to a wound on her calf that seemed inconsequential initially but turned into a life-threatening predicament. She contracted necrotizing fasciitis, an aggressive flesh-eating infection caused by the bacteria Aeromonas hydrophila.!!

Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she confronted the harrowing reality of multiple organ failure. Copeland required a respirator to breathe and was in full-time dialysis due to her kidneys failing. Her heart struggled to pump blood, with an ejection fraction of only 10% compared to the typical 55% to 75%.