Please pray for Katie and her Family

We do not know this family, however, if this were our family going through this, we would appreciate the prayers. Click HERE to find out more about Katie.
There was nothing particularly unusual about the afternoon of March 27 for Katie Doll and her family.

Ten-year-old Katie of Taylors had helped get ready for a weekly animal auction her mother conducts in Greer, and was riding in a go-kart through a field with her brother, Brandon, and another friend.

But that afternoon changed everything.

The go-kart flipped, and Katie was thrown from the vehicle, according to her aunt, Pam Underwood. She was airlifted to Greenville Memorial Hospital, and has been in a coma since that day, with her mother by her side nearly every hour, Underwood said.

"It's a parent's worst nightmare," Underwood said.

Although a full recovery is unlikely, Underwood said, Katie has shown signs that she'll fight. Doctors initially told the family Katie would never again be able to breathe without a ventilator, but on April 20 she was taken off the ventilator and began breathing on her own.

Robbin Surfus, who teaches the fourth-grade class at Tigerville Elementary where Katie was a student, said Katie's classmates took the news hard, especially those students who visited their classmate in the hospital and saw firsthand the seriousness of her condition.

But Surfus said Katie's personality is that of a fighter.

"I feel like she is so resilient and so strong-willed," Surfus said. "You couldn't hold Katie back, and if anybody could do this, it would be Katie."

Tom Lowe, a family friend who Underwood said "kind of adopted" Katie and her mother and brother, established a Web site devoted to Katie, with updates on her condition along with photos, videos and notes from friends. He has also helped organize a benefit for the family May 4 at the Blind Horse Saloon, 1035 Lowndes Hill Road, Greenville.

Lowe said the cost of caring for Katie over time will be "unimaginable," and the family will need all the help it can get. He said Katie's mother has put her business on hold since Katie has been in the hospital.

The benefit, scheduled for 2-4 p.m. May 4, will feature barbecue, raffles and live music for a $5 admission. Although it's being held at the Blind Horse, Lowe said, no alcohol will be served.

Lowe said he hopes the benefit will lead other groups and individuals to hold their own benefits for the family. A fund for Katie's care has been set up at Greer State Bank, and a Blue Ridge competitive travel baseball team coached by Jonathan Henderson solicited pledges for every run the team scored in a weekend tournament.

"Keeping the community-type atmosphere in mind, we're trying to do everything that we can for this little girl," Henderson said.

Underwood said the family has already begun making the necessary modifications to Katie's room to accommodate a hospital bed, in the hopes she will be able to return home.

The family van will also need to be modified to accommodate the wheelchair doctors have said she will need, Underwood said. She said it's hard to think about all the long-term costs that will be involved at this stage.

"At a time when you don't even know how you feel, it's hard to think of the things you're going to need for the long run," she said.

Lark Reynolds can be reached at 864.298.4246 or at lreynolds@greenvillenews.com.