SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Nearly 3 months after a brutal beating left him with severe brain damage and little hope of survival, 28-year-old Junior Estrada is defying the odds \u2014 sitting up, answering questions, and taking steps at a rehab facility.<\/p>\n
Authorities say Estrada was beaten and left for dead outside his City Heights apartment after an encounter with a man described as a known transient. His head was slammed into the pavement, according to police. A microwave discovered nearby may have also been used, though that remains unclear.<\/p>\n
His father, Johnny Castillo, and his wife found Estrada near their apartment minutes after he went outside to confront a man known for sleeping outside their window and waking up the complex with yelling.<\/p>\n
“Face up, bleeding, struggling to breathe,” Castillo said.<\/p>\n
A 41-year-old suspect was detained blocks away. Estrada was rushed to a hospital, where tests showed severe brain damage. Estrada underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.<\/p>\n
“Doctors said he wouldn’t wake up,” Castillo said in an interview in May.<\/p>\n
A few weeks after the assault, Estrada opened his eyes. Then came the “rock on” sign he loves to make.<\/p>\n
\u201cYea, buddy, yeah!” Castillo is heard yelling, in cellphone video in May.<\/p>\n
On Thursday morning, I met with Estrada at the Select Specialty Hospital in Hillcrest, a long-term acute rehab facility where he listened \u2014 and then answered questions with short responses, showing just how far he has come.<\/p>\n
“How are you doing?” I asked.<\/p>\n
“Good,” Estrada said.<\/p>\n
“Do you know your parents think of you as their miracle?”<\/p>\n
“Yes,” Estrada said.<\/p>\n
Estrada does not remember the attack but continues to make remarkable progress \u2014 from standing with assistance to moving his left hand.<\/p>\n
“They said he wouldn’t eat. He eats. Everything they say he wouldn’t do, he’s done,” Castillo said.<\/p>\n
“So we have a grip in his left hand. His left side was supposed to be dead,” Castillo said.<\/p>\n
After the original story aired, ABC 10News viewers responded on social media with offers of prayer. Pastors contacted the family and led prayers.<\/p>\n
“Unbelievable the amount of support. It’s a blessing,” Castillo said.<\/p>\n
For Castillo, watching his son’s recovery has been emotional.<\/p>\n
“I tell him every day I’m so proud of you. I get choked up. I know he’s got a long way to go, but he’s coming back,” Castillo said.<\/p>\n
The suspect, 41-year-old Phillip Hightower, is scheduled for a mental competency hearing in mid-August.<\/p>\n