IRVING, Texas — When Misael Rico plays the drum set in his Irving bedroom, it's easy to see his zeal for life.
Perhaps that's because at the age of 14, Rico knows what it's like to nearly die.
"I had to start all over again, like a baby, but a baby talking," he said.
When Rico was 6-years-old, he and his mom were walking to Farine Elementary School in Irving. They were less than a block from the school when a car jumped the curb and slammed into them. Witnesses told police the driver was texting on her phone, Rico said.
Rico's mom, Paola, broke her leg. But Rico ended up underneath the vehicle. He suffered massive brain injuries.
"The doctor told my mom and my dad that if I lived, I was going to be like a vegetable," he said.
He was in the ICU at Children's Health for three months. He's had more than 20 surgeries. He spent months undergoing physical therapy to learn to walk and talk again.
But he says he always had faith that he would survive after an experience he had in his first week at the hospital.
"That light that I saw, it walked towards me and it touched my eyes and my heart and it said, 'Son of mine, everything is going to be okay,'" Rico said.
Rico still experiences occasional headaches and pain, eight years later. But aside from a scar on his head due to surgery and a small scar on his arm, there are no visible signs of his trauma or pain.
His progress is far beyond what any doctor expected.
He is well-spoken, active and thrives in school.
"Today it's a big miracle to see Misael walking," said his mom, Paola Rico.
Rico isn't just walking, he holds marches. He is an active advocate for stronger laws against texting and driving, and led a march to create awareness during a July 4th parade in Irving. He made T-shirts that say "United Voices Alive."
He also led an advocacy walk at an elementary school in October, advocating for greater pedestrian safety, because Rico wants to save other children from enduring what he has.
"I was left here with a purpose," he said.
The Irving eighth grader has also built a friendship with a survivor of a similar crash, and plans to grow his advocacy group.
"From something terrible, I converted it to something good," he said.
"I thank God that he saved his life for a special purpose," his mother said. "I'm so happy to have him."