Michael Martinez, Golden Gate
 

Wow this is not sounding good at all.

http://www.drf.com/news/golden-gate-...on-after-spill

I know someone will ask so here's a link... horse seems to be okay.

http://www.goldengatefields.com/NR/e...BC9CF1CA6D.htm

I just heard about this and I'm really sad. He's a great guy and one of the best jockeys here in northern California. Please pray for him folks, he needs all the help he can get.

damn pinheads...........as Lukas noted they are well compensated for the chances they take.

this better be a joke

and even if it is a joke its a terrible one. I seriously suggest you find a soul.

He was being facetious. He's a jockey groupie.

I am more concerned for the horse....need those full fields.

I'm laughing hysterically.

The comment was a poke at Lukas and how absurd his comments are.

I have friends that ride, one of them flew up to see this kid, its a very dangerous game, more so than the 50k a year some of these guys ride for.

Martinez 'very critical' after Golden Gate fall

By Nicholas Godfrey 8:14PM 13 SEP 2010
USA: Jockey Michael Martinez, second in the Golden Gate Fields standings this summer, is in "very critical" condition after severing his spinal cord in a fall on Sunday.

According to the Daily Racing Form, 24-year-old Martinez underwent nearly 11 hours of emergency surgery at an Oakland hospital after the incident.

Martinez is also suffering from bleeding in his head and into his lungs, said track physician David Seftel.

The jockey, 13th in the national standings with 168 winners, was unseated in a 5f claimer when the favourite Fair 'n Warmer clipped heels.

http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse...767086/latest/

If you have friends that ride then you know how serious this is and you understand that poking fun at a trainers comments or even "gallows humor" is not the most appropriate thing to post on this particular thread. Best wishes and prayers is probably a better thing to post.

My thoughts are with this young man and his family, as I'm sure yours are, too.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...1-hour-surgery


At least a little bit better news this evening.

I didn't know Alex Solis is his cousin.

I'm sure a fund will be set up to help the family with medical bills, etc., but in the meantime if anyone is so inclined...

http://www.pdjf.org/

Good to hear he's better after the surgery.

I heard from a friend that he is day to day right now, still critical but there is always hope. Just really hoping he can live to know his child.

Here's an update on Michael from the local paper:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...SPN41FDBRU.DTL

:tro:

Got a text from a track friend that Michael is breathing on his own and is able to talk. They're trying to keep him calm and rested but "he wants to go home". Unless there are major complications, he will survive this. They are talking about trying stem cell therapy to repair the spinal column, but that's still a ways off.

My continued thoughts are with Michael and his family...

That's great news, thanks for posting DC.

Gooey and Girl-Cat-Do are doing very pretty work here.



( This should get me boo-bee photos....but anyhoo--they are.)

What an 'unfortunate' way to go down. Good to hear that it won't cost him his life.

A very tough situation, hopefully he will be well with time.

For those that are interested, GGF has established a fund to help Michael (this is from the track website):

FUND ESTABLISHED FOR MICHAEL MARTINEZ
**** A fund for jockey Michael Martinez, seriously injured in a spill last Sunday at Golden Gate Fields, has been established for those who wish to provide financial aid to the 24-year-old rider and his family.

*** Checks should be made out to “Michael Martinez Fund” and sent to Golden Gate Fields, 1100 Eastshore Highway, Berkeley, CA 94710.


I'm not gambling this weekend, I'm donating the money I would have lost :o to the fund.

great news, glad he's on the improve.

I hope he fully recovers. Do they allow stem-cell therapy in Cali?

Things are looking a lot better for Michael:

http://www.drf.com/news/sudden-chang...well-liked-man

Lots of track folks supporting this kid, he's one of a kind!

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, everyone here in NorCal has been behind him and will continue to be - hopefully the recovery continues!

Ditto to what Homer said. I'm not sure how things are looking better. Yes...he's alive...but he's permanently paralyzed.
Maybe all connections will suddenly turn Democrat and vote for more stem-cell research?

In California, we vote for stem cell anything, I think.


Happily so, if it involves research and possible new knowledge and learning,

And I usually vote Republican.

Two page story in this mornings NY Daily News.


http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/mo..._michael_.html

Stem cell therapy not an option for Martinez..
By Matt Hegarty

Specialists at Northwestern University near Chicago have decided that the rider Michael Martinez is not a candidate for a clinical trial using embryonic stem cells to treat spinal-cord injuries, according to the track physician at Golden Gate Fields, where Martinez was severely injured in a fall on Sept. 12.

Dr. David Seftel, the physician, said that the neurosurgeons conducting the trial had concluded from Martinez’s medical records that the jockey’s spinal cord had been too severely damaged to consider Martinez for the trial. Seftel and Martinez’s family had hoped that the treatments, which have shown some promise in studies on rats, would be able to mend the rider’s severed spinal cord. Martinez is paralyzed from the waist down.

Feel really bad for him and his family. I know everyone was anxiously awaiting and hoping that he would be a Candidate.

I hope they change their minds.

What a shame.

They didn't even do the MRI.

Thumbs down to the Division of Workers' Compensation. They didn't even give him a chance.

"The decision by Dr. Richard Fessler of Northwestern University came late Monday after a tumultuous day in which Martinez was to be transferred from Highland Hospital in Oakland to UCSF for a high-resolution MRI exam. The transfer was canceled when the state Division of Workers' Compensation refused to authorize it."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...SPFC1FHHGJ.DTL

That story sounds a little off to me....at least by my experience.

My 18 year old kid tore his ACL in very late July in a freak workplace accident while working with our city in a summer program for kids.

Workers comp in California got involved because of where he worked, despite our insurance that would have covered everything.

My only call to exert pressure was to his employer just to let them know we needed to get him operated on and functional to get him to college (in the SEC!) by August 15th.

He had the full MRI maybe within 72 to 96 hours of the injury.

The surgery on August 3rd.

California Workers Comp held nothing up or attempted to thwart in our case and we did little if anything in attempts to expedite.

This makes my blood boil. And what kind of hospital can't do MRI's?

Highland Hospital is a place where gang bangers from Oakland are taken to, to be pronounced dead.

Seriously, my life experience after 10 years of living in the Bay Area is that most news stories involving Highland Hospital usually include, "transported to Highland Hospital where he later died."

I'm sure they have fine and very qualified and admirable people that work there.

It's got to be a bitch of a place to be though..

I just heard that Michael's girlfriend gave birth to a little girl - Mom and baby are doing great!