Author:

John Barnes

John Barnes is an award-winning journalist. He worked for 33 years at The Grand Rapids Press and MLive.com. He now writes for Spectrum Health Beat, The Detroit News and other publications. Recent awards include top honors for feature writing, coverage of justice issues, investigative reporting, enterprise writing, public service and editorial writing. The Grand Rapids-area native has four children and enjoys camping, fishing and downhill skiing.

Posts from John Barnes

Patient Story

‘The greatest feeling ever’

Little Tinley never stops smiling—from adoption as a baby through months of leukemia treatments and, now, a happily ever after.

Patient Story

‘Everything was kind of junk’

Bariatric buddies lose more than 230 pounds between them.

‘I just want to be normal’

A love of music and the enduring compassion of a childhood friend are helping a 25-year-old Michigan woman weather the rigors of multiple sclerosis.

Patient Story

Sibling ties, or happenstance?

Sisters Marrea Cantillo and Liboria Mulero saw fate intervene in the births of their firstborn children. They delivered mere hours apart in the same hospital.

Fearless prospectors

Ten teens headed into the California wilderness to find courage in the face of hemophilia. A Michigan nurse with the same disorder helped show them the way.

Patient Story

Choosing life over leg

"Maybe I was meant to be an example," says amputee Don Lofton.

Patient Story

Surviving Vietnam, Agent Orange and diabetes

'I worked myself all the way up to eight insulin shots a day,' noted a veteran who has since turned his health care journey upside down.

Patient Story

A virtual voyage on a treacherous Sunday

Remote video conferencing lets patients stay home as they connect virtually to doctors for diagnosis.

Patient Story

‘I can do anything … It’s just amazing’

Former baseball hopeful Terry Fewless gets his life back thanks to newer technology for clearing clogged arteries.

Patient Story

Forging a new path

Shonta Frody's storied road led her to an adoptive family, a battle with leukemia, the development of a clothing line—and a true friendship with a resident doctor.

The search for a specialist

A special job placement program helps a 20-year-old find an exciting new place in pediatric patient care.

Patient Story

Saved by his stem cells

At age 17, Joshua Do had never heard of Ewing sarcoma—or the promising treatment known as autologous stem cell transplant.