OUR PATIENT, BOB ARNOLD, A WINNER AT RACING, AWAITS A NEW KIDNEY

Bob Arnold says he's the man who isn't supposed to be alive.

That's what doctors have been telling him his entire life.

A survivor in more ways than one, the veteran Pompano Park harness driver underwent radiation treatment for melanoma when he was an infant. At age 19, he discovered he had Type 1 diabetes. Arnold has had double bypass open- heart surgery on two occasions; once in 1996 and again in 2002.

His wife, Rene, donated one of her kidneys to him as a Christmas present in December 1996 after he suffered through kidney failure. And his latest setback: he's back on dialysis and awaiting another transplant.






Symbolically, the Pompano Beach resident — himself the proverbial dark horse in life — presses forward and continues to bring long shots to the winner's circle.

While Arnold, who will turn 57 on Aug. 2, is far from being the most recognizable name on the circuit, he has remained a fixture to the track's tradition for much of the past three decades.

The part-time driver has registered wins in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and has accounted for 58 wins and $151,334 in career purses. Dabbling as a trainer, he has also notched 14 wins and $61,855.

"Harness racing is in my blood," Arnold said. "It will never leave me. Just the thrill of winning and going across that wire. It's still exciting."

The last big win

The totality of his career may best be summed in his last win — a Dec. 28, 2009 race at Pompano Park — in which Arnold surprised the racing community by guiding a 35-1 shot named Elisabeth Ann Can.

Outside of post position seven, Arnold zipped past some of harness racing's best. The field of drivers in the race had an aggregate total of wins close to 20,000. Call the Trotters, ridden by Fern Paquet Jr. was the overwhelming favorite at 3-5. Others in the race included Hall of Fame driver Wally Hennessey and Bruce Ranger, a member of the 7,000-win club.

Elisabeth Ann Can's time of 1:58.4 was the fastest in 93 starts for the 8-year-old. The win by two-and-a-quarter lengths paid $72.20.

"The tote board goes up to 99-1," Hall of Fame harness racing writer John Berry said. "Bob has faced odds of a million-to-one in life. He's conquered that and will continue to conquer that."

In spite of having to rely on a dialysis machine three times per week, Arnold's uplifting persona has stayed with him.

"My father never stopped living," Arnold said. "That's where I got this attitude. You can't stop living. You have to keep going. Life is about how you deal with it. Some people would tell me that I should not do this or that and just sit back. But I've always felt that I need to go out there and make Bob happy. God has me here for a reason. There is nothing that I cannot do."

The Newark, N.J., native best demonstrated his capability on the driving circuit in 1984 when he was in the money 35 percent of the time. In 218 mounts that season, he recorded more than half of his career wins (29).

From that point forward, ensuing health issues limited his time on the track.

"There's no telling how good he could have been had he been healthy," Berry said. "Thick and through, he's been a good horseman and a great man. When all is said and done, that's how we are measured in life."

Awaiting transplant

In the past year, Arnold's daughter Nicole, 30, and son Michael, 28, offered to become kidney donors and were tested for compatibility. Neither matched the health criteria.

"It was heartbreaking," Nicole said. "The first call that I received from doctors told me that I was a match. But a week later, their findings showed that I would be a high risk donor. There was no question that I would do it if I was healthy enough to do so. I saw first-hand that my mother could do it and still be healthy. Plus, today, the procedure is less invasive than it used to be and there is less of a recovery period because of the way the incision is made during surgery."

On average, the procedure extends a person's lifetime 10-15 years whereas some recipients have survived more than 40 additional years, according to the National Kidney Foundation. With 16,517 total transplantations in the United States in 2008, hope remains.

Whether or not Bob receives a transplant, he says he'll be ready for some mounts at the start of the new racing season beginning Oct. 16.

If he has any doubts, he knows he'll have the support of his family.

"When I told Bob that I wanted to donate my kidney to him, he told me that he didn't want me to do it, " said his wife, Rene. "But I had faith in the doctors and my love that it would work. I would do it all over again because it made such a big difference. To give something so precious as life has made a major impression. It's carried on to my daughter and hopefully my granddaughter. Being a role model and pulling together as a family is important."

As Arnold waits, his other wish is simple. He just wants to be recognized as a nice guy.

"He's been such a gentleman for so many years," said John Yinger, racing secretary at the Isle for the past 10 years. "He always says, 'Do whatever you need to do.' He didn't care where or when he had to race. If other guys are put in a place where they don't think they can win, they will scratch themselves out. If they wanted to have dinner when the last race went off, they would complain and say 'Why are you putting me in the last race? Bob never complained."

Peter Holehan can be reached at pholehan@SunSentinel.com.

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