MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – Less than a week ago, Cody Goff was lying in a hospital bed on a ventilator, fighting for his life.

Today, he speaks to FOX10 News from his living room after being discharged.

Click here to donate to Goff’s Go Fund Me for medical expenses

“I have 25 staples in my stomach, I still have a bullet wound that is stapled and I have a hole where the drain tube is,” Goff said.

Goff says his recovery is a miracle.

“I’ve been on a ventilator and feeding tube for five days. I’m just worried about being alive. I’m worried about loving people I haven’t seen, seeing people I haven’t seen and talking to people I care about,” he said.

Goff says he was enjoying a night out with friends at Hayley’s Bar in Downtown Mobile when he suddenly saw a man walk into the bar brandishing a gun.

“I hear a noise and I look and I see the guy walking in and I see his hand up – I see the gun. I went to turn around and realized my right leg had given way because it hit a major vein and I started bleeding and I couldn’t put pressure on it,” he explained.

Goff says he knew right away he had been shot.

He says a man named Lane Nielsen ran from a nearby bar to help him. Although Goff didn’t know it at the time, this wasn’t his first encounter with the Good Samaritan.

“It turned out — and I didn’t even realize it — I went to elementary school with the kid and after high school he did EMT and he knew where to apply pressure and he knew where to look to see if there was an exit wound. He saw that people weren’t doing what they were supposed to be doing and he took orders in that situation,” Goff said.

Police arrested Michael Sullivan in connection with the shooting and charged him with first-degree assault. Investigators say Sullivan intended to shoot another person but missed, shooting Goff.

It’s something Goff has yet to process, but remains positive.

“I try my best not to procrastinate. Nightmares are birthdays – I had a few of these last night but all in all I’m fine. I will be good. The fact that I’m alive, I’m fine,” he said.

Goff wrote down a list of the names of all the doctors, nurses and other people who came to his aid. It’s a list he says he’ll treasure forever

“You rely so much on these people for every little thing — things that you’re not sure about, that you don’t even know about. And it’s tough – it’s tough on them, it takes a toll on them. It sucks that you have to deal with it, but these people wake up every morning and deal with it,” he said.

As Goff begins the long road to recovery, he says he will pursue his passion as a local photographer. He says he loves Mobile and wants to highlight the beauty the Port City has to offer.

“We have a high crime rate and it’s sad and nasty, but most people are good. You have a few bad eggs in the pile,” he said.

With tears in his eyes, Goff wants to remind people to never take life for granted.

“The world is not as bad as it seems. The fact that you’re awake, the fact that we’re Facetiming right now on the news — that’s the glory of how successful the world can be,” he added.

As medical expenses add up, his family has launched a Go Fund Me. Goff says anything helps.

“Whatever anyone is willing to do, I’m grateful. Even if it’s just prayer, love, compassion or words, it’s wonderful,” he concluded.

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