Flesh-eating bacteria victim Aimee Copeland sits up in hospital chair

ATLANTA - The father of a young Georgia woman battling a flesh-eating disease says she sat up in a chair, surprising nurses and loved ones.

Andy Copeland says doctors at an Augusta hospital helped 24-year-old Aimee Copeland into the chair, where she sat up for five hours. He wrote about Tuesday's development on his Facebook page Thursday morning.

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

In an interview with The Associated Press this week, Andy Copeland said he spoke with Aimee after surgeons removed her hands and "she just shrugged her shoulders and said `it's OK,' and she smiled."