Four weeks to the day after being trampled by a pair of fighting bulls, a Butler County man came home from the hospital Friday.
Bob Newcomb spent his 75th birthday on a ventilator in late August, with 16 broken ribs and injuries to his back.
Today, he is able to walk unassisted and is starting what family know will be a long recovery.
"We think we're on the right track," daughter Laura Hagood said Saturday from her parents home in Harviell. "We're just giving God the glory that he's here with us. It was clear God had His hand on all of the staff, from the nurses to the doctors."
Newcomb is expected to start physical therapy next week, but is still in a great deal of pain.
"Doctors have said from the beginning it would be a year recovery ... He's going to be in a lot of pain for a long time," Hagood said. "It's understandable with all the injuries."
Newcomb was caught under a pair of fighting bulls at his home Aug. 10, as he attempted to load the animals for sale. Newcomb operates Newcomb Bucking Bulls with his wife of 53 years, Rose Ann, their son, Jason, and his wife, Jessica.
Newcomb was airlifted to Cape Girardeau and later to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, where he received treatment until Friday.
In addition to the broken ribs, he also suffered a collapsed lung and two fractured vertebrae. Doctors placed a rod and screws in his back, and fused vertebrae to help repair the trauma.
This is the second time the family has almost lost her father in the last year, Hagood said.
Next week marks the one year anniversary of an accident that left Newcomb trapped for 20 minutes between the bucket and cab of a Bobcat. That resulted in fractured ribs and took nine months of recovery, Hagood said.
"He probably shouldn't have made it. ... He's one of the, if not the toughest person I know," she said.
In addition to his current injuries, Newcomb is also battling an infection at the site of a wound on his head, and at an incision on his back.
He still needs oxygen at night, as well, Hagood said.
Despite everything, celebrations and recovery will be the focus in the coming weeks.
The family has several missed birthdays to catch up on now, including Newcomb's, a granddaughter's, and his son's.
The family is also thankful for all of the support they have received from the community, their church, Westwood Baptist Church, and their neighbors, Hagood said.
"We've got a lot of family support and a lot of good neighbors that have already stepped up to the plate. They're bringing in food for my mom now so she doesn't have to cook," she said. "It's so good to see there's still a lot of good people out there that are willing to help. ... We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for all the prayers."
A GoFundMe account was established by friends to help the family with ongoing expenses, including trips back to St. Louis for care. An account has also been opened at the Bank of Grandin in Harviell.