“Aimee has been working on this for a few years now actually.”

Aimee...is Aimee Copeland. At the time, a very active 20-something who was so often out rock-climbing, backpacking and trail running. But the life of the then-University of Georgia psychology student drastically changed in 2012 at the age of 24. A zip-lining accident led to a diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis - a flesh-eating, bacterial infection. From there, amputations of both her hands, her right foot and left leg.

Since her life-altering “new situation” as she calls it, she’s dedicated herself to not only getting herself back to as active a life as possible, but also helping others like her.

She’s done that through the work of the Aimee Copeland Foundation. Now, the group’s latest effort is a partnership with Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites. High mobility, all-terrain track wheelchairs are being offered free-of-charge at 10 of Georgia’s parks, historic sites and a wildlife center.

“Her foundation’s initiative is to make sure that people with physical challenges can still enjoy outdoor recreation,” Kim Hatcher, public affairs coordinator for Georgia’s State Parks and Historic Sites, tells WSB Radio.

“This is a wonderful thing for us to be able to offer people with muscular dystrophy, or spinal cord injuries. We’re really pleased to be able to partner with (Copeland) and open up more of Georgia’s state parks to everybody.”

There was a public unveiling of the wheelchairs Friday morning at Panola Mountain State Park - southeast of Atlanta.

Early reviews from those who used the all-terrain wheelchairs? A big thumbs-up.

“People who had never used them before got the opportunity to try them out, and it was really, really rewarding to see people’s faces when they got to go down really steep slopes, and over small branches and places that they would not have been able to go in a regular wheelchair,” Hatcher says.

The chairs are free to use, but an advance reservation is required.

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