Since Jillian Salgado was violently attacked during class last month by a pair of teen girls, the 14-year-old Sullivan High School student has received much encouragement amid an ongoing struggle for closure.
"She's gotten tremendous support worldwide," said Salgado's mother, Maria. Facebook messages have come in from as far away as Ireland, London and the Czech Republic. Even Salgado's classmates have offered their support, apologizing for what happened.
But it hasn't exactly been easy.
The 17-year-old and 18-year-old sisters accused in the October fight, both suspended, never showed up for their expulsion hearing Monday.
Maria Salgado expressed her frustration with how long it has taken to finish the hearing.
"They're getting close to 45 days," she said, "so they could come back to school if the expulsion doesn't go through."
The videotaped attack took place during a biology class in October. In the video, Salgado struggled to fend off her two attackers while at least four other students stood by and the teacher looked on in shock.
At one point, the assailants appear to slam the victim's head off a table.
"I could not feel anything but my adrenaline was pumping so much," Salgado recalled.
The teen suffered a concussion, a neck sprain and several scratches and bruises, but those injuries are minor compared to her emotional injuries.
"Even the school told her to take a few more days off, but she wanted to get returned and just show that she could," said Maria Salgado.
The girls' expulsion hearing was pushed back for the third time and is expected to proceed next week.
