A New Season ~

We want to thank and congratulate the La Qunita High School Volleyball players and staff on a strong finish and for playing your hearts out in tribute to Coach Barton’s fight with cancer.
Also a big shout out to Palm Springs High Schools Varsity Volleyball Team for winning the CIF play offs!!!!
Coach Gary has been encouraged by all of your efforts, games dedicated to his fight, bracelets made, and of course all of the pictures and posts on Posthope, he looks at his site daily.
As with Volleyball season, the players and coaches are now playing and coaching at The Desert Sports Volleyball Club. We couldn’t write an update without thanking the Club for their ongoing support and encouragement. Coach Gary wears his tee shirts several times a week!!!
Like Volleyball we are also in a new season. On November 22, 2014, our daughter, Stephanie wrote an update that informed you after Gary tried the oral Chemo and was unable to tolerate it. Dr. Yen was going to start him the following Monday, November 24, 2014, on a chemo where he will have it 24 Hours a day for three days as an infusion in a fanny pack. Then he will have 12 days off. Even though this means he will have another machine and pack to be connected too, Dr. Yen is hoping this proses of chemo will not be as harsh with side effects. The morning of November 24, 2014, before we arrived to Dr. Yens office Gary and I like so many mornings spent time in prayer and that morning we asked the Lord to clearly direct Dr. Yen regarding Gary’s continued treatment plan. Gary gets stronger each week but only God knows what is best for him. When we arrived Dr. Yen decided to start Gary on the three day infusion and sent us over to the infusion center to get him started. God had other plans, and to make a long story short, our insurance would not authorize the pump needed. Dr. Yen scratched his head and said, I have never had this happen, ever. I thought to myself, thank you LORD, thank you and I said to Gary God is watching out for you. So for the last two weeks Gary has been receiving his Chemo weekly at the infusion center. He receives chemo and hydration and is doing well.
The new season here is due to start this Monday December 14, 2014, we have new insurance, boy is that a long story and Gary is due to start the three day infusion chemo therapy. For now it is the same kind of Chemo he was getting but a much larger dose. As Stephanie mentioned in her update the hope is that the chemo will kill cancer cells and shrink the tumors, thereby getting Gary off the TPN and the G-Tube removed from his stomach. That is the first goal and we are making progress!!! Gary is eating a little more each day, along with the TPN and the ingested extra calories he has gone from 129 pounds to as of this morning 143 pounds. Each day we carefully evaluate how he is doing and feed him according to what it appears his body can process, so no more meal planning!!! It’s daily shopping for us!!
Prayer Request from Him and family:
No more side effects with the new chemo! God can do it!
The House in Palm Springs has not sold yet but Stephanie is there and we have a new realtor who appears to be marketing it well. Let’s get it sold!!
Pray for me to stay strong and focused.
It is our heart’s desire to spend Christmas with our children in Orange County, please pray that all would be healthy, Gary and our children and grandchildren, that we would have the financial resources and we are fixing our little motorhome up so please pray for physical strength and endurance.

I am going to commit to writing at least once a week, there are those of you I text with immediate requests to but I have been convicted that there are many of you who are faithful and would cover us in prayer as we need it. GOD is good, he has blessed us with so much and we are grateful!!
God answers your prayers and our faith is encouraged as we watch Gods faithfulness and provision. Thank you each one.
Team Barton is doing it!!!! We are knocking out Cancer together, one day at a time!!!
Blessings, Team Barton!!!!