by Carter Milom (6th grade) and Jett Johnson (7th grade)

It started on March 27 when Mr.B (Mr. Josh Barnett) went to a doctor’s appointment. While he was there the doctors discovered a tumor on his pituitary gland. The tumor was pushing on his optic nerve and affecting his vision. If the tumor would have stayed there, he would have gone blind.

Mr.B did nothing to prepare and went straight into surgery on March 30th. The surgery was performed at Vanderbilt Hospital where he had great care while he was there. The doctors successfully removed the small tumor through his nose. One side effect is that for a period of time Mr.B’s senses of smell and taste will be affected.

After a few days Mr.B went home from the hospital to recover. The doctor’s instructions were to take it easy when he can. When asked recently, Mr.B said he was doing well. In his video to students on Edmodo he said, “On a scale of 1 to 10 I feel about a 7 today.”

It will be a few weeks before he can come back to work and a few months before he can get his senses back. Mr.B says, “I wish I could be out and about doing what I do best—teaching and preaching.” Many students love Mr.B. We hope he recovers soon!