The hundreds of bikers who turned out to support teen beating victim Josie Lou Ratley at a Sunday morning fundraiser got a special treat as the teen made a surprise appearance, her first appearance in public since the brutal attack.
Ratley, dressed in pink and sporting a black hat, didn't speak, but for those in attendance, her smiles spoke louder than any words could have.
The 15-year-old wasn't expected at the "Rally for Recovery" fundraiser, called "Let's Break the Cycle...A Ride for Josie," at the Cove Restaurant in Deerfield Beach.
Yet there she was, clutching mother Hilda Gotay's arm, just weeks after she was released from a rehabilitation center.
The event included a charity bike ride, with all proceeds going towards Ratley's medical care.
Back on March 17, Ratley was nearly beaten to death by 15-year-old Wayne Treacy as she waited for her bus outside of Deerfield Beach Elementary School. Treacy, a middle school student, was angry at Ratley over a text message she sent the boy about his dead brother.
Treacy stomped and kicked Ratley repeatedly, leaving her in intensive care in a medically induced coma. She spent just over 40 days in intensive care and weeks at the rehab center before she was finally allowed to go home.
Ratley was left with severe brain damage and has to re-learn nearly everything she knew, including how to eat, how to recognize colors and people and her ABCs. She faces years of rehab.
Treacy has been charged with first-degree attempted murder as an adult, and has been behind bars since the attack.
