“She is recovering well,” her father, J.J. Kilpatrick, said by phone from a Mexico City hospital Tuesday night.

Doctors said she is in stable condition after one surgery.

The attacker stabbed the woman in her abdomen around vital organs, including the kidneys and intestines. One stab wound punctured her lungs.

Kilpatrick, 22, is majoring in Spanish and went to Mexico in August as part of a foreign exchange program. She was set to return to Hendersonville in one week.

Kilpatrick was hailing a cab alone Sunday night in Mexico City when the cab driver pulled over and robbed her. The robber stabbed her repeatedly but not without a fight. Tyler, 5-foot-2 and 110 pounds, punched, kicked and scratched the assailant, her father said. “She is tough as nails,” he said.

J.J. Kilpatrick, who owns Kilpatrick and Sons Upholstery on Seventh Avenue, flew to Mexico City to be with his daughter Tuesday afternoon, after getting help from U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler.

Shuler expedited Mr. Kilpatrick’s efforts to get a passport. Friends and family collected $800 for a plane ticket within an hour of receiving the news of the young woman’s injuries.

“I want to thank everyone for their contributions and those who stood up to get me (to Mexico City), from Heath Shuler to the ones that gave me $10,” Mr. Kilpatrick said.

“Thank God she is alive and I will be seeing her tonight,” Mr. Kilpatrick said.

Once Kilpatrick is stable enough, she will be transported to the United States.

Doctors in Mexico City did not have a time line for Kilpatrick’s release from the hospital.

Several local organizations are accepting donations for the Kilpatricks, including the Hendersonville American Legion, Hendersonville Elks Lodge #1616 and Crooked Creek Golf Course.

“Everyone has been super,” said Tommy Laughter, Crooked Greek Golf Course general manager.

The community responded in a big way to make sure Mr. Kilpatrick could reunite with his daughter in Mexico City, Laughter added.

This is the second stabbing in Mexico this year involving a young Hendersonville resident.

Last March, 19-year-old Shane Pennington was fatally stabbed in Tijuana. Pennington, who had attended East Henderson High School, was living in California at the time.

Authorities believed the murder resulted from a robbery.

To help the Kilpatrick family, call Tommy Laughter at 828-891-8080.

I don’t know Tyler, but we have a few things in common.

UNCA (I worked there)

I studied abroad in college (an awesome experience, but it can be very lonely).

She and I both worked at Camp Mondamin/Green Cove.

I have an address if you need it.

Just a bit-o-footage of what I’m working on right now. More later, as it develops. Thanks for watching. -DB