Mission Moment Monday: Barry's Story

Barry at the 2009 Light The Night Walk at Market Street

"Welcome to MD Anderson Cancer Center" was the sign Barry Blanton noticed that April day in 2003. It wasn't welcoming him as a visitor there to see a friend with cancer. It was welcoming him as a patient with a cancer that he was told was "treatable, but not curable".

Barry was a healthy, strong man in his 40s when he discovered he had stage four follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The cancer had spread to his bone marrow and he had to endure six months of chemotherapy to kill it. Fortunately the treatments did not make him extremely sick and by January 2004, he finished chemo.

Throughout his cancer journey, Barry's faith was strong. "I knew, and still know, that God has a plan for my life and for my having gone through this challenging time," Barry said, "It was a huge faith opportunity for my life."

His own battle against blood cancer was a challenge, but not as difficult as that of seeing his father endure it. Just 2 1/2 years after Barry finished treatments, his dad was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a blood disorder that later becomes leukemia. His dad's disease quickly advanced and became acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and after trying three different regimens, they were told there was nothing more they could do. His dad, Don Blanton, died after only 10 months.

Barry, his wife Fran, his mom Barbara, as well as many of their friends and family have taken their grief and painful experiences fighting blood cancer and used them for good. Their Light the Night team, The Blanton Bunch, has been part of Montgomery County, Texas LTN walk since it began 10 years ago. They have raised over $115,000 and this year their goal is to raise another $22,000.

The Blantons continue to fight the good fight with the hope that someday these diseases will come to an end. Barry says he doesn't want his children or grandchildren or anyone else to ever have to hear they have a disease that is treatable, but not curable. "I am determined to help find a cure for blood cancers," he said.



If you would like to donate to The Blanton Bunch click here: http://pages.lightthenight.org/txg/Woodland14/blantonbunch

If you would like to form a team for Light the Night, click here: http://www.lightthenight.org/register/