Jane Richard, the 7-year-old Irish dancer whose leg was amputated following the Boston Marathon attacks, is continuing to recover after undergoing her 11th surgery.

The entire Richard family was deeply affected by the horrific crimes in Boston. While both of Jane’s parents have recently been released from the hospital, Jane’s older brother Martin tragically passed away as a result of the bombs on Boylston Street. Jane’s other brother Harry miraculously got away unharmed.

An update from the Richard family’s blog on May 9 said that little Jane had just completed a “milestone” surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital. Her 11th surgery finally closed the wound on Jane’s leg, further preparing her for the use of a prosthetic.

“By closing the wound, the incredible medical team at Boston Children’s Hospital laid the groundwork for Jane to take an important step forward on the long and difficult road ahead of her,” the blog read.

However, the family remains cautiously optimistic about progress. Little Jane continues to fight off infections, but should all go well, she could be ready for rehabilitation within the next few weeks.

Heartbreakingly, the update included that, “After not being able to communicate with Jane for the first two weeks, she woke up with difficult questions that needed to be answered. There are not words to describe how hard sharing this heartbreaking news was on all of us.”

The Irish dance community has rallied behind Jane Richard, a dancer with the Clifden Academy, and her family in the wake of the tragic news.

Irish dance groups in Boston organized a massive fundraiser, ‘Dance Out for Jane,’ which saw tens of thousands of dollars raised for the Richard family. Another initiative, ‘Wrapping Jane in Our Love,’ organized completely on Facebook, is collecting Irish dance t-shirts from around the world to make into quilts for Jane.

The Richard family expressed their deep gratitude for the outpouring of charity.

“We thank the courageous first-responders and Samaritans who stabilized and comforted us on the scene as well as the medical staff at the hospitals for quick action and life-saving care. We particularly want to thank the people who quickly got to Jane and addressed her injury in the street because they saved her life. We also salute those who stood guard over Martin’s body so he was not alone. Those officers will never know how comforting that was in our very darkest hour.”

“The doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, technicians, orderlies, volunteers and administrators at both Boston Children’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have been incredible. We will recover because of these dedicated and talented people.”

“Many of you feel an incredible need to do more, which is understandable and gracious. We will need help, as we cannot get through this tragedy on our own. We know how difficult it is to stand idle when something terrible happens, so we thank you for respecting our privacy and giving us space to not only recuperate and rest, but also to ensure the one thing the attack does not break is our bond as a family.”

“As hard as it is for us to do so, we ask for your continued patience as we work through something for which there is no roadmap, and there are no instructions."