Aimee Copeland loves her new body and she wants everyone to know it.
Four years after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria that claimed both of her hands, a leg and her remaining foot, Copeland is a picture of health and confidence in a new photo she posted from a beach in Puerto Rico.
“It has taken me a long time to become comfortable with and accept my new body,” she wrote in the caption of the Facebook photo. “We are ALL made with imperfections and there is so much beauty in our flaws. The scars and skin grafting build character! It's not about what you have — what you do with what you have is what really counts.
Copeland was a Georgia graduate student when she fell onto some rocks during a May 2012 zip-lining accident. A gash in her leg became infected with necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating bacteria that threatened her life and ultimately led to multiple limb amputations.
MORE: Aimee Copeland gets new high-tech hands
These days, she is an advocate for people with disabilities and is also writing a memoir, according to a post on Facebook.
All proceeds from the book will benefit “my dream of creating a nonprofit community growth center for people of all ages and disabilities.”
More than 9,000 people have reacted to Copeland's beach photo, which also prompted hundreds of comments congratulating her for her achievements and thanking her for spreading a positive message about body acceptance.