The tires on Regina Cornwell's 2001 Chevrolet Prism were so bald, her boyfriend told her she couldn't make another trip to Charlottesville to take her daughter for doctor appointments until she replaced them.

The single mother of two has been on leave from her job without pay to care for her daughter Ashley Flint since late September. That's when the 11-year-old nearly died in a go-cart accident at their home in Buena Vista.

Cornwell didn't have the money for tires or much of anything that didn't go to making her daughter better. Or she didn't until Wednesday.

That's when actor Tom Cruise, in town to film parts of Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds," added some spare change to a donation bucket that had been set up at the Lexington Dairy Queen for Ashley.

He gave 50 $100 bills.

Cornwell didn't believe it when she got a call about the famous benefactor. "Nuh uh," she scoffed. But it was true.

Cornwell feels honored that the movie star took time to care about her daughter; she feels the same way about how her community has rallied around her family.

"I appreciate Tom Cruise," she said. "But I appreciate anyone who put $1 in those jars."

On that terrible day, Cornwell saw an ambulance speeding down the road as she returned home. When she got inside the house, she received the phone call: One of her daughters had been hurt.

Ashley was airlifted from Stonewall Jackson Hospital in Lexington to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Her lungs were bruised, and her carotid artery was torn in two places.

There was more bad news. On the way to the Lexington hospital, Cornwell's mother had a heart attack and was taken to the emergency room herself. She has since recovered.

Ashley has had three surgeries to repair the artery at the University of Virginia Medical Center and will undergo a fourth in January, Cornwell said. Doctors have told her they're optimistic that Ashley will have a full recovery.

A friend is keeping the go-cart and the family all-terrain vehicle. Cornwell doesn't want them at her house. She plans to sell both.

Since the beginning of December, Flint has returned to Rockbridge County Middle School for half-days, though she has difficulty moving her eyes since the accident. All of the blood she lost from her injury caused her eyes to bulge out.

Cornwell said doctors have told her it's too early to say whether Ashley will have long-term problems with her vision.

Ashley also lost her short-term memory. When Cornwell told her about Cruise's gift, Ashley didn't know who she was talking about, so Cornwell showed her a photo of the star.

"When I showed her the picture, she said, 'He's hot,'" Cornwell said.

Ashley plans to write Cruise a letter to thank him for the money. "I'm going to say he's really cute," she said.

On Friday afternoon, Ashley was getting ready for the school holiday dance. Her mom allowed her to go after a teacher promised to make sure she doesn't twirl around or do any dances that might re-injure her delicate artery.

Ashley said she was mighty psyched about the dance. Still, she said she was more excited about her connection to Mr. Top Gun.

"Smart girl!" her mother answered, laughing.

Donations can be made to: The Ashley Flint Fund, Planters Bank, 2102 Forest Ave., Buena Vista, VA 24416.