Former Arkansas and NFL running back Peyton Hillis has been taken off a ventilator a week after he reportedly rescued family members during a swimming accident, according to a social media post by his girlfriend.
Hillis' girlfriend, Angela Cole, posted on Instagram on Thursday that Hillis is "on the road to recovery" but added that "he's still got a ways ahead of him."
Hillis has been hospitalized since he reportedly aided in a water rescue Jan. 4 that involved at least one family member off the coast of Pensacola, Florida.
According to Escambia County emergency services, four people -- two adults and two children -- were struggling in the water when a bystander helped them out of the water.