Former NFL running back Peyton Hillis expects to make a full recovery after nearly dying while saving his two kids from drowning off a Florida beach last month.
Hillis, who was on a ventilator following the Jan. 4 incident on Pensacola Beach before being released from the hospital about two weeks later, issued a statement on Twitter on Tuesday in which he thanked those who helped him – as well as those who offered “love and support” – in what were his first comments since the frightening day.
“I just wanted to come on here and thank everyone for all the prayers and love y’all have given me,” Hillis wrote. “It’s really made all the difference.”
The 37-year-old, who starred at Arkansas and spent seven years in the NFL with the Broncos, Browns, Chiefs and Giants, called the period since the accident a “very traumatic time.”
“I haven’t taken any interviews on this because I’d like to keep my family out of the public eye because it was a very traumatic time for us,” he said. “But I did want to come on here and show my appreciation for everyone who helped save my life and for all of your prayers and love and support.”
Hillis added that he left the hospital last month with “no worries and concerns” and said he should make a “100%” recovery.
“I’m a very lucky and blessed man,” he wrote.
Video last month showed first responders rushing to Hillis’ aid as four medics worked on him, administering an IV and checking his vitals. He was then airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he was in initially in critical condition and on a ventilator before eventually being discharged on Jan. 19.
“I remember seeing Peyt laid out on the sand unable to move and my mom having to run back and forth between us as the medics helped each of us,” Hillis’ sister, Hayley Davis, wrote on Facebook the day he was released. “I just kept praying that Peyt would be ok.”
Hillis reportedly needed treatment on his kidney and lungs while in the ICU. He also got a visit from Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith while hospitalized.
A seventh-round pick by the Broncos in 2008, Hillis retired from the NFL in 2015, finishing his career with 2,832 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns.