CLEVELAND — Quite often these days, Ghadi Cole finds himself counting his reps and his blessings.
“A lot of people have perished due to less, and I’m grateful because I am still here," Cole said.
The 44-year-old Cleveland firefighter was off duty riding his motorcycle in Oakwood last month.
Police said a drunk driver who later blew more than twice the legal limit slammed into Cole at a red light, throwing him more than 50 feet away from his bike.
Four weeks later, Cole is now in physical therapy, and doctors said they are unsure if Cole will ever walk again.
Between the dozens of firefighters from all over Northeast Ohio visiting Cole every week, his family by his side and his own tenacity, he's making strides.
“He’s made a lot of progression,” said Claudette Cole, Cole's mother. “When he first came in, he couldn’t raise his head off the pillow, he couldn’t raise his arms, and now I’m watching him transfer from the chair to the bed."
Cole said he prays every day.
“I just want the most high to give me one more chance on two feet because I still think I have a lot more life to live,” Cole said.
He said he’s counting on his faith, so he can eventually get back to doing what he loves.
“To be honest with you, I just want to go back to work; I miss it,” Cole said. “I miss it a lot, I miss the guys.”
If you’d like to donate to Cole’s recovery fund, CLICK HERE.
Watch more about the firefighter in the player below
Watch live and local news any time:
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
