Jamie Rodriguez, a 16-year-old Hobart High freshman, continued Saturday to recover from a beating last week by another teenager that left her temporarily paralyzed.

Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill., where the girl is being treated, issued a statement Saturday, "The family of Jamie Rodriquez would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and concern.

"Jamie is in fair condition and her team of specialists at Loyola are optimistic at her chances for recovery. More will be known after a few days."

Hobart police said Rodriguez had just finished her high school final exams Wednesday when she was attacked outside of a Hobart restaurant.

Her family said the girl felt threatened by other teenagers while eating lunch and had called family members to pick her up. The family said someone falsely told Jamie her family had arrived.

Jamie was hit and kicked in the head without warning when she walked outside to see. Some of Jamie's classmates, who were eating nearby, came to her aid and broke up the assault.

A 15-year-old girl was being held during the weekend in the Lake County Juvenile Detention Center on suspicion of taking part in the attack.

Primo Rodriquez, a Gary policeman and Jamie's father, said his daughter was initially paralyzed and was having trouble understanding what happened to her, but swelling around her spine has gone down and he hopes she may soon be released to go home.