INDIANAPOLIS — IEMS provider Geovani Galvez continues to recover at Eskenazi Hospital after he was hit by a car and seriously injured while working.
"Like the last time, I don't know how I survived this accident. Easily, I could've been brain dead," said Galvez as he spoke with 13News via Zoom from his hospital bed.
The accident happened Saturday night during the Italian Festival in downtown Indianapolis.
Galvez suffered several broken bones, a brain bleed, collapsed lung and other injuries. He said he has to undergo at least three more surgeries.
"I just gotta be strong. I wake up in a lot of pain but I know I have to push through with that pain because it's the growing pains that keep me going forward," said Galvez.
One of his surgeries will reconstruct torn ligaments his knee. Another for his fingers.
"I have to get some pins put in them and they have to reconstruct my fingers because they're broken," said Galvez.
He's thankful to be alive and have his son and daughter by his bedside.
"I hadn't seen them in a few days and it was a nice relief to be able to see them. They definitely miss me and I miss them," said Galvez.
The last four years has been incredibly tough for the Galvez family.
His son, Levi, battled acute lymphoblastic leukemia from age 2 to 7.
"He's probably one of the reasons why I'm still around and just to see him around is still amazing," said Galvez.
In 2020, Levi contracted COVID. He relapsed twice.
Geovani's emotional pain grew after uncertainty Levi would survive.
He was also, at times, working 16-hour days, 7 days a week during the pandemic at Methodist Hospital as a patient financial counselor in the ER.
Paired with other personal struggles, Geovani felt like he hit rock bottom.
"I work night shift and I got off about 6 a.m. that day (July 17, 2021)," said Galvez during a 2022 interview with 13News. "That's when I grabbed a gun. I shot myself right here in my chest because I didn't want to be here anymore. Things were going so well for him, Levi. I knew he would be fine, but I felt I didn't have a place in this world anymore."
That bullet lodged in his rib cage.
"God definitely kept me alive for a reason," said Galvez.
He would later learn he was a half-match for Levi's bone marrow.
Levi's transplant became a success and in March 2023, Levi rang the bell at Riley Hospital for Children, signaling the end of his five-year journey with cancer. He was finally cancer-free.
Now, Galvez is working on his recovery.
He has his IEMS family and friends behind him, organizing fundraisers to help.
"You realize how blessed you really are. Never in a million years did I think I would wake up and my GoFundMe be at $15,000, $20,000 or realize that I have people supporting me," said Galvez.
It will be some time before Galvez can get back to work with IEMS.
The chief of IEMS encouraging drivers to pay more attention when they encounter crews on the road.
"We need our drivers to obviously be aware and move over when we're driving, but when you see an ambulance on a scene you gotta give us more space than I think you even think of," said IEMS Chief Dan O'Donnell.
O'Donnell said watching your surroundings is key.
"You gotta look around beyond the actual vehicle itself because there is at a minimum two individuals that are going to be working out of that ambulance. They're going to be coming out. They're going to be bringing equipment, often a stretcher, which is, at a minumum, eight feet long," said O'Donnell. "Take that extra second, because obviously it can save a life. It can prevent someone from EMS being injured."
Galvez said once he is able to leave Eskenazi Hospital, he'll have months of rehab.
For now, he is grateful to all those who support him.
"Definitely keep me in your prayers, but also everybody else that's in this hospital as well because we're all in need of a miracle and we all need a healing at this point," said Galvez.