(CNN) — A 12-year-old Wisconsin girl who police say was stabbed in an attack by two other 12-year-olds “is a fighter and is improving each and every day,” her family said Thursday in a news release.
“As parents of this little girl, we are overwhelmed with the amount of love and support we’ve received from our family, friends and community,” the family said in a statement obtained by CNN affiliate WTMJ.
Authorities said one girl held the victim down while another stabbed her 19 times in a Waukesha park Saturday morning, allegedly so that the alleged attackers could impress a fictitious, ghoulish Internet character called Slenderman.
The victim was left to crawl to her rescue, and she was taken to a hospital after a passing bicyclist found her, police said.
The suspects, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, were arrested hours after the victim was discovered, according to a criminal complaint. They have been charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, according to court documents filed Monday.
The two are being charged as adults, and bail is set at $500,000 for each, Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel said.
The victim is in stable condition at a southeastern Wisconsin hospital, the release said.
The family asked for “homemade hearts of paper, fabric and felted wool that are purple in color and infused with prayers, love and light.”
“The hearts will blanket the walls of the girl’s room to remind her that the power of love is greater than all else,” the release said.
Hearts can be sent to: Hearts for Healing, P.O. Box 407, Waukesha, WI, 53187-0407.
CNN’s Ashley Fantz, Jason Hanna, Shawn Nottingham and Kara Devlin contributed to this report.