LOGAN, Utah, Feb. 25, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — Deserae Turner, the 14-year-old girl shot and and left for dead in a Cache County canal bed, is no longer in a medically induced coma.

The teenager’s family announced the development in a statement released Friday.

“Our daughter is a fighter with a strong will to live,” the statement said. “We are grateful for everyday and know that there is a very long road ahead for her and our family.”

Deserae was found Feb. 17 after failing to come home from school the day before.

Two 16-year-old boys have been charged with attempted aggravated murder. Police say the boys lured Turner to the canal site not far from Smithfield’s Sky View High School in a premeditated plan to rob and kill her. It remains to be seen if they’ll be tried as adults.

The shocking turn of events has rocked the small rural community which is banding together to help Turner’s family with medical expenses. As of Saturday afternoon more than $44,000 had been raised through a GoFundMe account established in Deserae’s name.

Another account for donations has been set under the name Deserae Turner Charity Fund at America First Credit Union.

In Friday’s statement, Deserae’s family thanked the community for its outpouring of support, and the medical professionals at Primary Children’s Hospital, in Salt Lake City, for their care.

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to family, friends, community members, and all of those we may not have met,” the statement read. “The kindness our family has been shown is beyond measure. We are in awe of the number of people who have reached out to us, thought of us, and included our family in their prayers. We are especially grateful for the medical staff who have gone above and beyond to care tirelessly for Deserae.”

In addition to first-degree felony attempted aggravated murder charges, the 16-year-old boys are charged in 1st District Court with aggravated robbery and with second-degree felony counts of obstruction of justice.

The Cache County District Attorney’s Office says it intends to charge the teens as adults by way of Utah’s Serious Youth Offender statute. Their next scheduled court date is Feb. 28.