Katie King, 24, recovering after stabbed by co-worker outside Deer Park movie theater

DEER PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- A mother is speaking out after her 24-year-old daughter was brutally attacked outside a movie theater in suburban Deer Park.

Police say Katie King was stabbed more than 20 times on Thursday by her co-worker, 18-year-old Daniel Dion, because she simply annoyed him.

King, of Vernon Hills, is making remarkable progress in her recovery at a hospital in Arlington Heights and has been upgraded from critical to fair condition. She is a singer, song writer and now a survivor.

"I was worried because her lungs have been punctured," said Mary King, Katie King's mother. "It was very serious, of course."

Katie's mother is speaking out for the first time, in shock over the vicious attack.

"Disbelief, because Katie is such a beautiful, sweet, compassionate, kind person," Mary King said.

Katie King was stabbed in her face, neck and lungs inside her car in the parking lot of the Century Theater in Deer Park. She was able to make it into the theater lobby to get help.

"She does believe it was a miracle that she survived. I mean, besides her will to live, of course," Mary King said.

Unable to speak because of her injuries, Katie King is communicating with her mom and her aunts through writing.

"It's a long road ahead," said Julie Kerksick, Katie King's aunt. "It's a long road for both the physical, the emotional, the psychological recovery. We know she will come through this."

The family is grateful for the doctors at Northwest Community Hospital and all of the support pouring in.

Dion has been charged with attempted murder, among other charges, and is being held at the Lake County Jail on no bond.