Source: IndyStar Sports
Racing legend A.J. Foyt is hoping to find the “fountain of youth.”
The 82-year-old four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 told Verizon IndyCar media that he plans to undergo stem-cell therapy to help repair his ankles and shoulder. He will also have stem cells injected into his blood.
Foyt’s body has taken quite a beating over the years. He suffered a broken back during a NASCAR race in 1964 and broken feet and legs during a 1991 IndyCar crash. In 2005, he was stung more than 200 times by bees while trapped under his bulldozer at his Texas ranch. He’s had knee and hip replacements, and in 2014 underwent triple-bypass heart surgery.
Foyt will undergo the therapy in Cancun, Mexico, as the treatment is not available in the United States.
“It used to be you would have to go to Germany to get this procedure, but now it’s available in Cancun and that is probably where I’ll have it done,” Foyt said Saturday during the Verizon IndyCar Series open test at Phoenix Raceway. “I’m not in good health like I used to be and, if my son Larry hadn’t taken over (running) the team four years ago, I would have had to shut it down. It’s something he likes to do and I’m backing him 100 percent.”
“I feel better this year than I did last year,” Foyt continued. “If I get to feeling bad, I probably won’t show up at the race. But I’m going to do that stem cell deal. My wife, Lucy, has been pretty sick lately. Dan Pastorini (the former NFL quarterback) did it and it helped him. Peyton Manning (the former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback) did it for his neck and it really helped him. Tony Dorsett (the former Dallas Cowboys running back) did it, so I think we should try it.”