Georgia's Real Wonder Woman---Aimee Copeland !

   By Tom Livsey, OurTown National News Editor,     

We all need role models sometime in our lives. For children blessed enough to have two parents in a single household today should be enough by recent morality standards.  

For those same children to look up to them as role models is becoming more rare today...   For the rest of the world, let me introduce you to my Wonder Woman, Ms. Aimee Copeland of Snellville, Georgia !    

A Georgia city located about twenty miles east of Atlanta, Ga, used to be scorned every morning by one of the Atlanta's most popular radio duo deejays at Z-93.  

For years they would start their morning drive shows with demeaning phrases like, "From a city where kudzu runs wild, and everybody is somebody...Snellville, Georgia". For those of us who lived in Snellville, we simply had to grin and bear it for many years.  

Thousands of local residents were so embarrassed to acknowledge where we lived.     

Well a few years later, the hilarious talk show duo were eventually fired from their radio show, after another one of their rude comments about the countless Atlanta Child Murders in the early 80's, when they played , 'Another One Bites The Dust', referring to another innocent child killing !    

As for as Snellville, Georgia today, the little 'Hick Town', has become one of our nation's best cities to raise a family, and start a business.

To be sure, if you can find a vacant lot inside the city limits, you might find kudzu still growing. However chances are very slim, because of all the proactive growth direction spearheaded by community leaders, and those who head up 'Snellville Spirit'...  

The population growth in Snellville has finally superceding the growth of KUDZU !    

More importantly, the once small town changes are daily, like breathing fresh air in this community. For example, if you go by City Hall, you might be welcomed by the city's first female mayor, Kelly Kautz, and even have a picture taken with her. She is always approachable.

 Likewise, if you happen to go to a Friday night South Gwinnett High School football game, or attend one of many great churches in the city, you might bump into one of Gwinnett County's first pioneering families, who have been here sine 1840.  Gwinnett County Historical Society named these six families: the Snells, the Moon, the Britts, the Masons, the Williams, and the Livseys.     

Yes I am proud to announce that 'Everybody is Somebody still in Snellville...the only difference is there are more special families moving here everyday, and they are even better.  

Case in point, Snellville's Wonder Woman---Aimee Copeland !    

A phenom, a celebrity, a leader, or an angel would all be appropriate terms when one tries to describe Ms. Aimee Copeland, who has been recently introduced to the world for her brave battle with a rare flesh-eating bacteria illness, that has taken this brilliant and beautiful young lady from an active life, to restricting her to a wheel chair, only for now.    

However like most who are blessed enough to be in her presence for only a minute, each one walks away with a different positive perspective.   Truth of the matter is that Aimee, and the whole Copeland family are simply amazing people.  

A recent question that was asked by an impressive student of Anderson Livsey Elementary school was innocent enough, she asked, "Is her disease contagious ?" I smiled and replies, 'No, it is not like Chicken Pox, but her smile, and her positive spirit, will spread like wildfire. Her outlook about life is sure to have no cure, though, in a wonderful way. Aimee will change millions of people's life perspectives, in a profound way".    

I want to let you know how she affected me.     

On September 14, 2012, as a national new editor for over a dozen news sites, I was privileged to be invited to Ms. Copeland 'Welcome Home' press conference at City Hall, in Snellville, Georgia.  

Starting with the Copeland family, the city's mayor Mrs. Kelly Kautz, along with the whole city council, all came together to bring the citizens out in order to welcome Aimee back home.    

As a former Wall Street Investment Banker, who lost over forty close friends. I tried to find every reason not to go, especially after 9/11. I was on numerous national talk shows worldwide, to speak on the subject of loss.   Trust me the past four days were so depressing. I became dehydrated from crying all day on the eleventh of September.

So by Friday, I was tired of being down, and full of survivorship guilt. As each hour passed, I had another excuse not to go to the event. It might as well been 'Friday the 13th'. instead of the fourteenth.

But for some reason, knowing that all the major media outlets worldwide would be present, I felt the urge to show up and let the world know how the city of Snellville,Ga. circle the wagons, when it come to our own. We protect our own...If you want to piss off a person from Snellville, just mess with their neighbor !    

As I was running a few minutes late with my mom and unknowingly Aimee Copeland's mother. The three of us had to walk around city hall in order to enter. Once we opened the door, we followed this brave energetic voice. It was Amiee with her dad in front of a dozen reporters and a dozen news camera crews.    

Her smile was so bright that the cameras needed no flash to take a picture.  Her aura was so infectious, she cured my depression.    

So please allow me to share this with you all as, if a cheer leading squad was spelling out a cheer at a pep rally....    

Give me an 'A' for Aspiration !     

Give me an 'I' for Inspiration !     

Give me a  'M' for Motivation !     

Give me an 'E' for Energy !    

Give me an 'E' for Enthusiasm !     

What do we have ? AMIEE !    

Therefore, to show my appreciation, I want to offer this song. Simply click on the link below:  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bZFQrpKRzA  

By the way, with all the attention that Aimee Copeland is getting, millions around the world want to call Snellville, Georgia their hometown Now !  

Go Aimee !    

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