Diminished Body, Persevering Spirit

Nurturing Medical Staff Keeps Barbaro Alive

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. -- In the middle of the night, when a rhythmic routine settles over the intensive care unit at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center, nurse Jamie DeFazio marvels at the patient in her care.

"Sometimes it's just the two of us sitting there," she said. "He's easy when he's sleeping. You can pet him, and he's not the macho guy, and you say, 'Horse, do you even know how many people care about you?' I think he knows he's special, sitting there one-on-one with him."

Five months after he shattered his leg moments into the Preakness Stakes, Barbaro no longer looks like the majestic animal whose quicksilver blend of speed and stamina won the Kentucky Derby and made him an overwhelming favorite to capture racing's Triple Crown.

Yet, Barbaro has overcome enormous odds thanks to some of the most advanced medical care ever given to a horse -- and to a small group of doctors and nurses who have fed, washed, walked and otherwise nurtured him.

When Barbaro arrived at New Bolton, he had massive injuries to his rear right leg -- a fractured cannon, sesamoid and long pastern bone. Most horses would have been euthanized. Instead, a complex, painstaking operation followed that included the insertion of a titanium plate and 27 screws in an effort to stabilize the leg and save his life.

The lower half of his leg remains encased in a large, heavily taped fiberglass cast. His left rear hoof, removed in surgery in July after the onset of a life-threatening case of laminitis, a debilitating inflammation, continues a creeping regeneration that will take at least six more months. A protective boot over the stump recently was replaced by heavy bandages.

Largely confined to a stall in the intensive care unit, the bay colt's battle for life has left visible marks. His muscular frame has atrophied. His left side is scarred from blistering during surgery and a bulbous sore from lying down when he couldn't stand. When he is led out for daily late-afternoon grazing, he lurches gingerly. Still, the staff at New Bolton is hopeful.

"He was a tremendous physical specimen," said Dean Richardson, the chief surgeon who performed the surgery the day after Barbaro broke down and has shepherded his recovery. "For all his problems, he's in excellent physical condition."

An Unforeseen Buzz

DeFazio, who grew up in Kennett Square and went to camps at New Bolton as a child, was watching the Preakness on television the afternoon of May 20 when she saw Barbaro pull up at Pimlico Race Course. "I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, it's over, and it's going to be devastating for our community, especially since I live" near Barbaro's owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, she said.

DeFazio, 27, works the midnight to 5 a.m. shift at New Bolton every other week. She was scheduled to work that night. After the race ended, DeFazio took a nap -- missing further coverage of the tragedy on the evening newscasts -- then got ready for work. When she arrived at New Bolton at 10 p.m., she learned that the horse in her care would be Barbaro.

"When I got in and saw him, I was just awestruck," she said. "He looked like an athlete in his prime. I half wanted to cry and half was excited. You didn't know how to explain it: He's a horse -- one of our patients -- but he's Barbaro, and he won the Derby, and he's all over the news, and he's right in front of me, and I need to make sure he makes it through the night."

Much of the country also was fixated on Barbaro's plight. While many people just wanted to see the Derby winner survive, others debated whether he was only being saved for a chance to earn millions in stud fees. The Jacksons, who had never seen one of their horses suffer a serious injury, said they would have gone to the same great lengths for even the lowliest gelding.