The father of Phoenix Suns superfan Mr. ORNG is speaking for the first time since a red-light crash nearly took his life more than a year ago.
"When I get out, it's gonna be all giving back, you know? How can I not," says Bob Battillo who survived a red-light crash.
Battillo is sitting up and talking, something he couldn't do nearly the entire past year.
"We had two doctors go to them and say he's not going to come back, let us pull the plug," says Battillo.
His daughter Cynthia, his five grandkids and his son Patrick, known as Mr. ORNG, have all stood by his side every step of the way. It's the reason he says he is still here.
"I believe anybody can come back from anything if they have the family," says Battillo.
Traffic camera video, from the intersection of 99th and Northern avenues in Peoria, shows the red-light crash from October 2021. The crash left Battillo in a coma for two months, with massive brain trauma. It's changed his life forever.
"When you see a light changing: stop, wait a minute or two, and check both ways. Make sure there's no cars coming," says Battillo.
ABC15 and Phoenix Suns fans everywhere have followed his recovery closely. There have been many ups and downs, with Battillo almost dying again from double pneumonia. Miraculously, he pulled through and is now out of the hospital and in a rehab facility — one step closer to walking with the help of therapists.
"When he was picking me up to put me in the chair, I stood up straight. You know, my back pulled back and everything. He put me down and said, 'oh my god,'" says Battillo.
Battillo says his biggest message to others: never give up. That is something Patrick admires about his father.
"I'm so proud of the man he is, and we give him the full support and always have, every step of the way. That's a strength he instilled in us and me as a kid," says Patrick Battillo, son.
Patrick is hoping to surprise him with something very special.
"He'll get to come to the Suns game because everybody wants to see him," says Patrick.
"I love them all. I appreciate all of their... 'get well, keep strong, keep pushing,'" says Bob.
