Tim McCullough, 30, holds his mother’s 15-year-old Chihuahua, Dude. McCullough is being treated at a Pittsburgh hospital for injuries he sustained after he was hit by a train June 16 in Donegal Township. Submitted Photo

Tim McCullough is recovering from his second surgery Thursday, June 26, at a Pittsburgh hospital almost two weeks after he was hit by a train on June 16 in Donegal Township.

“It’s brought us so much closer,” said his mother, Tina Brothers, of Butler, as she anxiously awaited the results of her son’s second surgery in four days at Allegheny General Hospital. “I could never imagine living without my kids before, but now, he’s my best friend.”

McCullough, 30, and Brothers, 55, have lived in Butler for 25 years and moved to Penn Street about a year ago. McCullough has worked at Butler Color Press for about four months with his brother.

McCullough’s surgery to stabilize his broken back and neck with metal rods after being hit by the train on Gameland Road finished successfully around 11 a.m. Thursday.

Brothers was almost late to see her son off for the 7:30 a.m. surgery because her Uber got a flat tire. She arrived as nurses were preparing McCullough for the operating room, so the nurses gave the pair an extra five minutes together.

He had surgery Monday to remove parts of his lacerated liver and close his stomach, in response to injuries he also sustained from the train. McCullough also has a brain bleed and broken leg, which did not require surgery.

Tim McCullough is being treated at a Pittsburgh hospital for injuries he sustained after he was hit by a train June 16 in Donegal Township. Submitted Photo

Brothers said McCullough has a boot for the broken leg and will receive a back brace. Doctors told her the recovery from his back surgery would take about three months and he’s very lucky.

The hospital staff knows Brothers well, she said, after seeing her with her son almost the entire time since she learned of his injuries. The staff reminds Brothers she also needs to eat and sleep.

“This hospital is full of kind people,” she said.

Brothers left the hospital for the first time in five days Monday after McCullough’s surgery. Doctors told her she should use the time where McCullough would be sedated after the surgery to rest, but said it helps patients to see loved ones when they awaken. She said two doctors previously thanked her for staying.

When she left, Brothers was fearful every time the phone rang that it would be the hospital with bad news about her son. She wants nothing to hold McCullough back from his goal of attending welding school.

“Get ready to give (your children) your whole heart, because they take it,” said Brothers, who has three sons. “As long as they’re OK, you’re OK. I am so thankful to God I can smile today.”

She said she was proud when McCullough bought a sporty red e-bike with his first paycheck from his new job. She said he rides it to work when he’s not going with his brother.

Doctors have not discussed with Brothers what the next three months of recovery will look like for McCullough, so she’s is approaching it with cautious optimism.

Still, she cherishes the time they spend together in the hospital. Brothers said she brought her son a handheld fan earlier in the week since his medication was making him hot, and McCullough kept it even while falling asleep.

“I’m happy he’s alive,” Brothers said. “I can’t believe it.”

Brothers still doesn’t have all the answers on what happened to her son and hasn’t spoke much to him about it since he’s been sedated most of the time.

State police reported the incident as an attempted suicide, which Brothers said her son disputed when he was told.

“We won’t know until we hear it from his mouth,” Brothers said.

Brothers is still searching for the person who reportedly gave her son CPR when he wasn’t breathing until paramedics arrived. She said she’s given CPR before and knows how draining it can be.

“The kindness of strangers has overwhelmed me through this whole thing,” she said.