Tag: cancer

Trainer Billy Turner, best known for his masterful handling of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, suffered a freak accident in April that left him in the hospital with a broken neck, reports the Thoroughbred Daily News. The 80-year-old retired from racing in 2016, but was mowing around the Ocala Jockey Club in Reddick, Fla., when he ran over a branch that struck him in the back of the neck.

Once hospitalized, Turner discovered he also had prostate cancer which had spread to his bones. The hit to his head also caused a brain injury. After surgery to repair his neck and nearly two months in the hospital, Turner was finally released to head home. Doctors are focusing on the neck and brain injuries before they are able to treat the cancer.

“He's doing remarkably well and his mental state is surprisingly good,” his wife, Patti Turner, told the Thoroughbred Daily News. “His injury was way more serious than just a broken neck. He was in rehab for four, five weeks learning to walk. He had a serious injury to his brain. His brain wasn't communicating with his body for balance and he even lost his ability to swallow. He has recovered from that. He can talk and eat. We started the GoFundMe campaign because he needs serious professional nursing care in the home to get over this hump. If he can get several months of really good care we think he can move forward.”

A friend and neighbor, Rick Wallace, has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help Turner cover his ongoing medical expenses.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

The post Billy Turner, Trainer Of Triple Crown Winner Seattle Slew, Recovering From Broken Neck appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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