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Horse trainer heads home after collapsing at Canfield Fair
By Kalea Hall
YOUNGSTOWN
Dan Trent considers himself a lucky man.
And he should.
A week ago today the 66-year-old fell to the ground in front of two officers at the Canfield Fairgrounds.
The horse trainer from Delaware, Ohio, went into cardiac arrest while he was on his way to grab a bucket of water for his horse.
Essentially, he died during his first visit to the Canfield Fair.
Quickly the two officers got to work. They started CPR and called for emergency personnel.
He flatlined three times, and then a defibrillator brought him back.
And today he gets to go home.
“I feel great,” Trent said. “I go walking [around the halls]. I ain’t got no pains.”
Dr. Jeffrey Fulton, heart surgeon for seven years at St. Elizabeth Health Center, performed a three-hour open-heart surgery Sunday on Trent. The coronary bypass Trent received “restores blood flow to your heart muscle by diverting the flow of blood around a section of a blocked artery in your heart,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
In this case, Trent had three significant blockages throughout all three major arteries.
Dr. Fulton said Trent is fortunate to have had the care he received at the fairgrounds.
“He is a very lucky guy,” Dr. Fulton said.
The fair board recognized the efforts of the two officers at the location where Trent fell and several other EMTs and paramedics who helped Trent.
“I would say thank you and I will have you in my prayers,” Trent said he would say to those who saved his life.
By the way, his horse still won in harness racing at the fair.