'Tough and Brave' 9-Year-Old Girl Attacked by Cougar While Playing Hide-and-Seek
Gofundme
A 9-year-old girl in Washington is lucky to be alive after being mauled by a cougar while playing hide-and-seek with two other children at a campground.
Lily A. Kryzhanivskyy was enjoying the childhood game in a set of woods close to the camping area in Stevens County, Washington, on Friday when the rare attack occurred. She "jumped out to surprise her friends when the cougar suddenly attacked," the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a release on Tuesday.
Lily was medevaced to the hospital via helicopter where she was rushed into surgery for wounds on her face and upper body. Doctors intubated her and the 9-year-old was in a coma until Monday morning.
Gofundme
"We are extremely relieved that Lily is showing definite signs of recovery and that her spirit seems to be good. She asked us to let people know that she is okay and she is 'tough and brave.' And we completely agree –– she is tough and brave!" Staci Lehman of the WDFW tells PEOPLE.
"The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is currently reviewing every detail of this incident to understand what happened and waiting for necropsy and other results from the deceased cougar at this time," Lehman adds.
RELATED VIDEO: Woman Thrilled to Discover Her Late Mom Was Boyfriend's Teacher: 'It's Incredible That She Knew Him'
Per the WDFW, before Lily's incident, the state of Washington had two fatal cougar attacks on humans in the last century and 19 that caused injuries.
"Wild animals don't care to be around humans any more than we want to have close encounters with them," said Capt. Mike Sprecher in the release.
A GoFundMe started by Lily's aunt Alex (who is the sister of Lily's mother Yelena Ustimenko) said Lily was attacked during a family camping trip. Lily suffered injuries to her upper body and face, and was in surgery for "several hours." At the time it was created, Lily was in the ICU.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
An update posted on Monday said that Lily was still in the ICU at the time, but had awakened from her coma.
"She is fully aware of what happened to her, she can speak clearly, think clearly, move her arms and legs. She talks to her mom and dad, but Lots of recovery ahead Praying for full recovery without any side effects Thank you for all support and every dollar. For every prayer God is good," Alex wrote.
The campaign has raised more than $70,000 to cover Lily's medical expenses and Yelena's time from work. It has a goal of $100,000.
