Doctors have performed reconstructive surgery on the face of a Calgary woman beaten near death at a Mexican resort, but her husband says a long road to recovery remains.

Sheila Nabb, 37, was found in a pool of her own blood at the Hotel Riu Emerald Bay in Mazatlan last month. Family members said every bone in her face was broken.

Through a statement issued Thursday, husband Andrew Nabb explained that his wife underwent an extensive operation at the Foothills Hospital Jan. 28 and doctors have since deemed it successful.

“Although she (Sheila) is still sedated, she has been very responsive and we are happy to see small improvements every day,” explained Andrew Nabb, offering his first public comments since the vicious attack. “The past few weeks have been very difficult for Sheila and the rest our family . . . I would like to thank Canadians from coast-to-coast for their concern and support.”

Some of Nabb’s friends and co-workers speaking to Metro said they took comfort in details included in the statement.

“She has got a long ways to go, but the first steps seem to be in the right direction,” said Dr. David Peterson, who runs the clinic where Nabb works.