A fire cadet from Orange County Fire Authority was critically injured after his vehicle was struck by a DUI driver last week. The cadet recently was declared cancer-free after a recent transplant.
Christian Bodello, 21, was off from the fire department for six months to receive a life-saving transplant for T cell lymphoma, which he has been battling for six years, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Tuesday night, Bodello and his friend were struck by a suspected driver who was under the influence at an intersection.
The cadet suffered a traumatic brain injury, broken collarbone and pelvis, along with leg and rib injuries, his family told the television station
"I'm heartbroken for him. For his family," said Bodello's girlfriend, Beeta Safouri. "Every time he picks himself back up, something else happens. He's still so positive and strong about it. I've never even seen him complain...He always says God chooses his strongest soldiers."
She told the television station they just returned from a trip to Europe to celebrate the success of his transplant, which made him cancer-free.
Bodello's friend suffered injuries but they were not considered life-threatening.
