A missed field goal in an NFL game inadvertently led to the discovery of a brain tumour for Mark Toothaker, a stallion sales manager at Spendthrift Farm. Toothaker was at home watching the game when the incident occurred.
The Whiff Heard Round the Farm
Former New York Giants’ placekicker Younghoe Koo completely missed the ball on a field goal attempt against the New England Patriots last December. Mark Toothaker was watching with his wife, Malory. He was cracking up at the missed field goal and consequential turnover.
That’s when he felt something strange.
“I felt a shock in my left arm, and then I never felt anything else. Had no pain, anything after that,” Toothaker said.
He didn’t wake up for 25 minutes. At the hospital, he was told that he had suffered a seizure.
Shocking Diagnosis and Quick Recovery
Doctors revealed that Toothaker had a brain tumour the size of a tennis ball. Fortunately, his wife Malory is a nurse.
“Just happened at absolutely the right place if it had to happen,” Toothaker said. “I could have died, I mean, I’m on the road all the time.”
The tumour was benign, and Toothaker was home from the hospital after 24 hours.
Looking Ahead to the Kentucky Derby
As he prepares for this year’s Kentucky Derby, Toothaker is hoping to be in the winner’s circle with Spendthrift’s horse, Further Ado. He still thinks about Koo, and the whiff that led to the tumour’s discovery.
Toothaker reached out to Koo, who made the Pro Bowl and led the NFL in points with Atlanta in 2020.
“I’d love to have him come to the races, or come visit Spendthrift,” Toothaker said. “If he wants to go racing, we’ll go racing. If he wants to come out and see the mares and foals, it’d be my honour to come out and show him around this beautiful farm that we have here in Lexington, Kentucky.”