SAN ANTONIO --A lot of kids say they want to be superheroes when they grow up, but after recovering from an accident that almost took his life, one local grownup actually did it.
Anthony De La Garza is also known as The Batman of San Antonio.
"People thought I was insane. They're like, ‘Are you sure that car didn't hit something up there?’," said De La Garza.
While jogging one evening, he was hit by a driver and left for dead. De La Garza spent six months in the hospital, undergoing intense therapy and rehab.
"I saw a lot of children going through so much worse than I was and I just thought, ‘You know what? I've always wanted to be Batman. I've always wanted to give back.’ And it was basically a wakeup call. Like, this is what you have to do,” said De La Garza.
So he quit his job, invested in a bat suit and became The Batman of San Antonio.
“Little kids love it. They get that Christmas look is what I like to say. They just have stars in their eyes and gasp, ‘Oh my God it's Batman, he's here, he's got the voice!,” said De La Garza.
De La Garza spends days, nights, weekends, even holidays with kids all over the community. His mission: to motivate, inspire and empower them. At The Children's Shelter, a safe haven for child survivors of abuse, neglect and abandonment, he tells the kids that every great hero comes from a terrible tragedy and this is their road to being something more than you are now.
"You don't need a mask, you don't need a cape, you don't need superpowers to give back,” said De La Garza.
Because all it really takes to be a hero is heart. DC Comics was so impressed by De La Garza's mission, it actually let him trademark his title. He also now owns seven custom made bat suits.
To contact The Batman of San Antonio, visit his Facebook page.
To learn more about The Children's Shelter, head to https://www.childrensshelter.org/.
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