JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The mother of a teen girl stabbed 15 times outside a Ponte Vedra restaurant released a new photo on social media, showing her daughter sitting up with a radiant smile.
“The smile on Madison's face remains priceless," Jacki Roge wrote in a statement posted to a GoFundMe page created for the family. "No one can break my girl."
Roge issued the update after Madison Schemitz for the first time met the man who tried to stop the brutal attack. According to police, Schemitz’s ex-boyfriend Spencer Pearson chased Schemitz and Roge as they left Mr. Chubby’s Wings on June 3 and began stabbing them. Schemitz was stabbed 15 times, including in the neck and back. Roge was stabbed in the forehead and leg.
When Kennedy Armstrong saw what was happening, he and a friend intervened to stop Pearson. Armstrong suffered a severe injury to his hand which required surgery. Pearson ultimately slit his own throat several times but survived his extensive injuries.
In the GoFundMe update, Roge wrote, “We got to meet our HERO Kennedy Armstrong!"
“What an incredible young man, so blessed to now call him family," she continued. "There are no words to really express our gratitude. Kennedy acted without hesitation or fear, and that is so beyond admirable.”
The post included a picture of Armstrong, his right arm bandaged, standing next to a seated Schemitz. It's the first photograph released of the girl since the stabbing. The girl’s family confirmed shortly after the attack that she’d been paralyzed, but have not provided any updates on her condition.
Schmeitz,17, is a rising senior and star athlete at Ponte Vedra High School, where she played on the softball team.
Pearson, 18, remains in jail on no bond. He graduated from Ponte Vedra High School in May.
In the June 26 post, Roge wrote, “Thanks to everyone for the continued support!" The GoFundMe account has received donations from 1,600 individuals for a total of more than $148,000.