Danny Lovato says he is not only facing a piece of his traumatic past, he is reuniting with an old friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad I saw it,\u201d he said clearing his throat. \u201cBut it\u2019s emotional for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is the first time he set his eyes on the gondola he was in the day that his life would change forever.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just the sight of it,\u201d he said. \u201cYou think, how did I make it out of this and I have no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
In October 2013, Lovato and his pilot Mark Kilgore were on one of their countless flights at Balloon Fiesta.<\/p>\n
FAA reports the wind was too fast and the landing area too small. Their basket crashed into the power lines in Rio Rancho.<\/p>\n
12,000 volts of electricity jolted through Lovato’s left shoulder down his body and out of the back of his leg catching part of the basket on fire.<\/p>\n
Doctor’s amputated Lovato’s left arm he spent over two months in the ICU with multiple surgeries and is still going through physical therapy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first doctor who looked at me was shaking his head,\u201d Lovato said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the Lord\u2019s hand wasn’t on us, neither of us would have been here today,\u201d said Pilot Mark Kilgore.<\/p>\n
He says his injuries were minor. After the explosion the pilot still managed to land the balloon upright.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had 21 seconds from the time we hit the wires to the explosion,\u201d Kilgore said.<\/p>\n
The two are now preparing for their first flight since the crash.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember the good times we had,\u201d Lovato said, \u201cWe’ve been flying for 9 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
They are parting with their old memories to make new ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you keep on going it just gets better and better,\u201d Lovato said. \u201cIf you have a good attitude and a good spirit about it than you’ll overcome it and it’ll be worth it in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says his faith, family (including his wife Peggy) and friends have helped him get through.<\/p>\n
\u201cI keep looking at the people I met and the good things that I’ve done and if it took this (points to gondola) to do it,\u201d Lovato said. \u201cThen I’m happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
For these two friends it is not just about moving forward, but rising above.<\/p>\n
Lovato and Kilgore are now taking their old gondola and giving balloon flight safety talks all around New Mexico.<\/p>\n
This weekend they spoke at the Albuquerque Balloon Center Inc. to over 100 balloonist and pilots.<\/p>\n
They plan on taking flight in next year’s Balloon Fiesta 2014.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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