Barry Gordon: Fighting cancer with hope and love

Bailey resident Barry Gordon has a fantastic life of music, marathons, ski runs, horseback rides and favorite hikes in the Colorado mountains. For him, it’s about the best in life – including the best beliefs that result in pristine health. Gordon’s an explorer, and is now exploring alternative health options to keep him alive.

“We’re planning on the ‘heal,’” said Gordon. “We’re smiling and laughing through the process at this point, we’ve cried in between.”

Gordon, 63, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in February 2009. It’s an extremely rare cancer for someone his age; it’s normally a cancer found in young people. While skiing moguls he had slight hip discomfort but a leg fracture soon after led to a cancer diagnosis. Seven days later, he began treatments and since 2009, he has endured surgery and eight rounds of chemotherapy. A little more than a month ago, doctors found 13 brain tumors and he has completed full-head radiation. Surgery is scheduled in the next few weeks, according to his wife of 29 years, Susan.

Gordon said he’s recovering from the radiation treatment and regaining his mental function. Radiation, he said, left its mark took its toll on much in his life.

“It affects everything but the damn tumor,” said Gordon.

Gordon said they’re at a crossroads in terms of his healthcare and they had to make a decision about his treatment.

“Conventional medicine gave up on us last year,” said Gordon.

He and his family began searching for hope and found it in alternative medicine.

The treatment he’s seeking consists of immuno-therapy, a combination of diet and attitude, combined with astute and complex visualization processes, positive thinking and mind over matter. He said his optimism, despite what conventional medicine says, is very, very high. He believes that with coaching that he can work on energy and self-healing that will help him rid himself of his cancer.

“Cancer provides a kick in the butt,” he said.

Gordon said that in a way, it has made his life simpler.

“It eliminates so many other options, it eliminates laziness when you’re confronted with life and death,” he said. “You have two options, you can choose to live or choose to die and you can ease yourself in that direction. There are decisions to be made and it forces you to be proactive in one direction or another.”

Gordon said the outpouring of love he has received from friends, family and those close to him has made him see a newer, more powerful side to love.

“The real world doesn’t allow for that kind of intensity of pure heart,” he said.

He said he’s found strength and grace from other people with the same diagnosis who have faced their lives with courage and love.

He said he has not one regret, other than knowing what this has put his loved ones through. But he said it has given an opportunity to give strength back and forth to each other.

Gordon, a real estate broker with Dynamic Properties in Bailey, hasn’t worked for two years. Susan said they had been denied their loan modification on their mortgage will save money and they try to keep up with their bills and live an even trimmer lifestyle. Susan said it’s amazing what things you don’t need.

“We need the basic staples, roof, gas, electric and food,” said Susan, “Other than that, the other needs are emotional, nurturing kind of needs. As far as surviving and living, when a loved one is compromised in their health … you don’t need very much, you just need to hang onto the love.”

A few weeks ago, friends held a garage sale and raised $4,000 and received an in-kind donation of $500 from the local website, 285Bound. The hope is to raise $24,000 for his alternative treatment, which they believe will save his life. Gordon will travel to clinics in Santa Barbara and Mexico for treatments that include inducing fevers to help heal the body, what he calls a natural way of healing and one insurance companies may not cover.

Donations have totaled $9,512.

Many Conifer and Bailey businesses have volunteered to place donation jars with a picture of Gordon’s tanned, smiling face and his story on the jar, in order to raise money to help the family pay its bills and get Gordon the treatment he wants.

Gordon plans on being cured from his cancer in the next few months. He said he wouldn’t allow negative thoughts while working with the energy he hopes will help him heal and give him the outcome he and his family so badly want.

“I’m going to get the best ending to the story,” he said.

This story ran in the September 1, 2010 edition of the HIgh Timber Times