( CNN ) -- The health of a South Carolina woman battling a rare flesh-eating bacteria has `` slightly improved , '' a spokeswoman for a Greenville hospital said Thursday , though the new mother remains sedated and in critical condition . Lana Kuykendall has `` undergone 11 debridement surgeries to remove tissue since being admitted May 11 '' to Greenville Memorial Hospital , spokeswoman Sandra Dees said Thursday by e-mail . But unlike 24-year-old Aimee Copeland of Georgia -- who has lost a leg , part of her abdomen , her remaining foot and her hands as she fights the same disease , according to online updates from her father , Andy Copeland -- no parts of Kuykendall 's body have been amputated . `` Last night , Darren told the family in his update that 'Lana 's vitals and blood work is good . ' This is a good day for her , and we will take it , '' said Brian Swaffer , Kuykendall 's brother , in a message relayed by the hospital . Kuykendall gave birth to twins , Ian and Abigail , on May 7 in Atlanta . At that time , Kuykendall , a paramedic , was believed to be healthy . But a few days later she went to hospital near her South Carolina home after noticing a rapidly expanding bruise on her leg , her husband Darren , a firefighter , told CNN last week . Surviving a flesh-eating disease . She was diagnosed then with necrotizing fasciitis and has been intubated and sedated every day since , according to her brother and the hospital . A number of bacteria , which are common in the environment but rarely cause serious infections , can lead to the disease . When it gets into the bloodstream -- such as through a cut -- doctors typically move aggressively to excise even healthy tissue near the infection site in hopes of ensuring none of the dangerous bacteria remain . The disease attacks and destroys healthy tissue and is fatal about 20 % of the time , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . iReport : I survived Flesh Eating Disease ... barely . Dr. William Schaffner , chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center , estimates that fewer than 250 such cases occur each year in the United States , though estimates are imprecise since doctors do not have to report the cases to health authorities . Just last Sunday , Kuykendall had undergone seven surgeries for her ailment -- meaning she has had four more such operations in recent days . Swaffer said , as he did days ago , that the family is thankful the disease remains confined to his sister 's legs . While hooked up to a respirator , Kuykendall is now breathing on her own , according to her brother . Her baby boy and girl , who are being cared for by relatives and friends , remain healthy and are doing well . `` Please pray with us that Lana will recover quickly to a point where she will be able to interact with and enjoy this special time in their lives , '' Swaffer said . Andy Copeland posted an update earlier Thursday about his daughter Aimee , who is fighting the same disease as Kuykendall in the intensive care unit of Doctors Hospital in Augusta , Georgia . She was with friends May 1 near the Little Tallapoosa River , about 50 miles west of Atlanta , when the zip line that she was holding snapped . She fell and got a gash in her left calf that took 22 staples to close . Three days later , still in pain , she went to an emergency room , and doctors eventually determined she had necrotizing fasciitis caused by the flesh-devouring bacteria Aeromonas hydrophila . Her father has written regularly since about her situation , with the psychology department at the University of West Georgia -- where Aimee had been pursuing her master 's degree in psychology -- also posting online updates . On Thursday , her father wrote on Facebook that Aimee `` has finally stabilized to the point that she has not needed any ventilator assistance for over 24 hours . '' `` Each breath is a victory . Each heart beat is a cause for celebration . When she opens her eyes , that is like a ticker tape parade down Broadway . When she mouths words , angelic hosts rejoice , '' Andy Copeland said . `` That is what each moment is like for us . '' He described several such moments from earlier in the week , including Aimee lighting up after listening to a `` private concert '' from a musician who 'd written a song about her , waking up to talk of `` treats '' in the hospital and sitting up in a chair . `` When the doctors put Aimee in that chair , their expectations were to give her an hour , '' Andy Copeland said , elaborating on the latter milestone . `` Five hours later , Aimee decided it was time to lie down . Had she been running an Olympic marathon , I think Aimee would have experienced a record-breaking , gold-medal moment . '' CNN 's William Hudson and Jennifer Bixler contributed to this report .
Lana Kuykendall has had 11 surgeries since being diagnosed with spinal fasciitis . While in critical condition , she has n't had amputations and the pain is all in her leg . ` ` Lana 's vitals and blood work is good , '' her husband says , according to the doctor . The father of a young girl with the disease missed milestones in her own life .