Hello family and friends, This is Caleb and my mom has asked me to write a blog to inform and update everyone on dads condition and current events. It has not been long since the entire family gathered together at the hospital to say goodbye to dad. His physical condition was in such a state that the doctors and medicine had very little to offer. It did not take a medical degree to realize what was going on, one look at dad and it was clear. It was mind blowing, a miracle, when he left the hospital. Not only did he leave the hospital but his physical condition steadily increased. Over the last three month dad has put on around 28 pounds. He weighed 129lbs when he left the hospital and was up to 157lbs just over a week ago. He walked everyday he could, building stamina and strength. In the hospital, dad was too weak to stand and he did not have the strength to walk for some time. Amazingly, I saw him walk several miles up and down hills with Paul at Christmas time. The goal has been to gain enough weight and strength to be able to travel to a cancer center and potentially have surgery and aggressive treatment. Dad is closer than ever to this goal! He has shown incredible strength, doing everything in his power to get better and showing great faith in the areas that are uncontrollable. With that being said, the last week and a half, two weeks, have not been good. Dad has not eaten in eight days and has been vomiting several times a day. His doctor reduced the TPN Tube Feeding, with hopes that dad could consume more whole good calories. He did this, but he was unable to do it for long. The consumption caused a partial blockage and a looping of the bowels. Dad's belly is swollen and he is still unable to eat. Everyday he cannot eat, and the TPN is not increased, he loses weight and strength. Along side those physical ailments, he is very uncomfortable.To sum it up, dad has made incredible progress but he is suffering right now. Please pray for the blockage and the looped bowel to cease so that dad can eat and continue to gain strength. Pray for favor with the doctors and that the TPN will be increased quickly. Here is some great news. Dad was able to confirm an appointment at the Block Cancer Center with Dr. Block. The Block Center is one of the top cancer centers in the world. Please pray that the insurance will be accepted by Block. Also, that the financial needs for the trip will be met. My mom has talked to Cancer Centers of America, the highest rated cancer treatment center in the U.S. to see if they will accept dad's insurance and schedule an appointment. Pray for this as well, that dad will be able to get the best treatment out there.

As i was writing you all yesterday i took a break and took Gary's temperature. He had a fever and in the word of living with Cancer that's a symptom we must pay attention to. The fever kept climbing so its off to the ER we go. We were seen blood tests were done....exray's too. Gary was admitted into the hospital with Sepsis an infection of the blood and a bowel obstruction. This morning he is responding to the medications and in the next hour they will be going into the gtube site to check for infection and any other complications. Thank you for your posts and prayers! We love u Go Team Barton!

If there are two things Cancer is teaching me, they are to remain flexible and to ask for help when needed, both things I have always struggled with but am making progress towards getting better at doing.[...]

Good Morning it has been one week from today that I last wrote and we are getting ready to leave to spend Christmas with our children in Orange County!!!!! Talk about answered prayer! God provided the health, support and the provision to make the trip! Unbelievable!! Through our brothers and sisters in Christ we were provided for in so many ways I cannot list them all, but we are going!! Praise the Lord with us![...]

Good Morning,

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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.[...]

Let me start by saying our apologies for not updating sooner. As you can see from past updates things change on an hourly bases. My Dad asked me to update you all, all of his fighting supporters so here it goes.
Last week was an emotional week for all of us here at the house. Dad was very nervous about having to take 20 pills a day and who wouldn’t be even if it will prolong his life swallowing poison 20 times a day brings unbelievable anxiety.[...]

It has been too long since I have written, but I realize now that making the shift from the doctors telling us to call the family because they felt Gary might only live hours and or days, to creating a discharge plan with the hospital that would meet the many around the clock needs Gary had because he was well enough to come home, to the last post when it was obvious he was suffering from another blockage, to our current situation...has been a big shift and change in circumstances. [...]

Shortly after I posted the update this morning, Gary threw up and it was obvious that he was once again blocked. Having been through this several times we knew what we were looking at. My daughter who is staying with us and helping me full time said, lets trust the Lord with this set back, there is so much good news to share lets report that and ask for continued prayer, so we did. [...]