Peyton Hillis and his girlfriend Angela Cole in December 2022. Instagram / angelacoleofficial. Cole also shared the post to her Instagram story, writing, “Thank you everyone for your prayers ...

Cole, 28, called Hillis "a hero," and shared a positive update on his condition via social media on Wednesday. "Peyton is off the ventilator and is on the road to recovery," she wrote on Instagram.

Former NFL running back Peyton Hillis is off a ventilator and "on the road to recovery" just a week after saving his children from drowning at a Florida beach last week, his girlfriend said Wednesday.

Cole reported that Hillis had been taken off the ventilator and was "on the road to recovery" in an earlier Instagram post shared on Jan. 11, about one week after the swimming accident.

Former Arkansas and Browns running back Peyton Hillis is no longer on a ventilator and is “on the road to recovery,” his girlfriend, singer and actress Angela Cole, said Wednesday night.