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Diminished Body, Persevering Spirit
Barbaro grazes next to Dean Richardson, the chief surgeon at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center. Barbaro continues to recover from massive injuries to his rear right leg.
(By Jonathan Newton -- The Washington Post)
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Barbaro has gained respect at the hospital for his perseverance, though he has at times drawn the line. He loathed the masseuses brought in to work muscles that were knotted because of a lack of exercise. He fussed and bit and threatened until they decided to leave him alone.
"He's like a crotchety old man in a hospital," DeFazio said. "You come in with the medicines, and he says, 'What are you doing in here?' He makes faces at you. I wouldn't say he's cranky, but mouthy."
Richardson, who early on said the chances of Barbaro's survival were no better than 50-50, continues to be cautious about his recovery. "You've still got a long way to go to know whether he'll grow a foot that will allow him to be a stallion or live in a field," he said. "We're better than I thought we'd be in early July when he foundered, but it brings you back to earth when you think about it every day."
No figures have been released on the cost of his treatment the past five months, but it reportedly has run into the tens of thousands of dollars.
Although Barbaro's racing career is over and his ability to stand at stud is uncertain, he has been bringing in money -- for the hospital. Even before he had arrived, New Bolton administrators had begun to compile a wish list for its future.
The hospital, Executive Director Corrine Sweeney said, has been delivering "21st century medicine in a 20th century facility." Now there is the Barbaro Fund, which began with an anonymous donor pledging $500,000 and has raised approximately $1.2 million. The money will go toward the prevention and cure of laminitis, medicine and new equipment.
"It will immediately benefit the patients," Sweeney said. "No one wanted this tragedy to occur, but once it did occur an awful lot of good things happened."
And they continue to happen to Barbaro, the odds-defying patient who happens to be a star.
"I will be able to look back," McCafferty said, "and say to my children and grandchildren, 'I worked with Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner.' "
