Former NFL running back Peyton Hillis is off the ventilator and “on the road to recovery” after reportedly saving his two kids from drowning at a beach in Pensacola, Fla. last week.

Hillis was hospitalized after the swimming accident last Wednesday, and has been in intensive care since the incident. His girlfriend Angela Cole took to Instagram on Friday to provide an update on the situation:

“A hero ❤️. So proud of this man and so incredibly grateful for family and this incredible hospital,” Cole wrote in the post, which included a video collage of the couple. “Peyton is off the ventilator and is on the road to recovery. Please continue to pray for he’s still got a ways ahead of him, but thank you for all of your prayers and love and support thus far. It truly makes all the difference. Today was a good day. ❤️🙏🏻.”

It's the first time Cole has spoken publicly since the 36-year-old Hillis was hospitalized last week.

Doctors were concerned about Hillis' kidneys on Tuesday, per Memphis' WREG.com, which reported that the former NFLer was making minor improvements in his recovery.

Photos from the rescue scene show lifeguards and medical personnel tending to Hillis on the Florida beach, where he was eventually airlifted by helicopter to a local hospital.

A prayer virgil was held for Hillis in his hometown of Arkansas inside the football stadium at Shiloh Christian on Sunday.

A seventh-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in the 2008 NFL Draft, Peyton Hillis spent two seasons in Denver before stints with the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Giants.

He retired from the National Football League in 2015.