Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow/ Livestream
When Keegan Barton was in high school, her grandmother’s health took a surprising turn for the worse. Though she had always been a healthy person, she was unexpectedly diagnosed with peritoneal cancer.
When her grandmother went into hospice, the nurses who passionately took care of her inspired Barton to go into the medical field.
Now she is a Grand Canyon University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in health science.
“My grandma was an inspiration in my eyes because she took such good care of her body,” Barton said. “That really triggered something in me to figure out those things, because why would somebody who did everything right end up with something?
“I saw how much they (nurses) could impact her life, even though she knew the future was not very bright. It awakened something in me, the impact you can have in a patient’s life. I want to be like that for other people.”
The Arizona native was determined to achieve her career goals early on. As a high school student, Barton spent half her days in school and the other half at a local community college, getting a head start with college credits.
By high school graduation, she had completed her phlebotomist and nursing assistant certifications, which earned her a full-ride scholarship to Eastern Arizona College. She kept the ball rolling by excelling in her prerequisite nursing courses and being accepted into the nursing program.
But an abusive relationship made it difficult for Barton to focus and succeed in nursing school.
“I have always had a passion for helping others and the miracle of medicine and health care,” Barton said. “I was accepted into the nursing program on my first try and could not be more excited, but I was in an abusive relationship during that time, and it really started to impact my schoolwork.
“I was having such a hard time balancing everything, and it got harder to keep it from family and faculty, and I ended up failing my second block of nursing, which was really devastating.”
Barton gave the nursing profession a final try, but after her third failed attempt, she accepted that God had a different career plan for her.
Her faith was most tested when she faced a series of health issues in 2022.
After being infected with COVID-19 for the third time, Barton faced a near-death experience. Her immune system, lungs and heart were severely attacked by the disease, causing her to go into respiratory failure more than six times.
“I just remember I was getting so incredibly tired. I couldn’t breathe on my own anymore and I didn’t want to keep fighting it. When I looked up at the hospital lights, I could just hear very faintly, ‘It’s not your time. I am not ready for you, and I need you to keep fighting.’
“All of a sudden, my vitals started getting better. I was able to get a breath of air, and they were able to get me stabilized. I truly believe I was meant to make it through that to be where I am today.”
Though Barton’s condition has significantly improved after visiting many doctors and trying various treatments, her health is not completely restored.
But she persists.
A few months ago, her health plummeted, sending her to the ICU for several days while she was halfway through one of her courses. She did not let that slow her down.
“My parents always raised me to do my best. I still made sure to get all my stuff done because I really didn’t want to miss my graduation.
“When I was in high school, I got to go to GCU for a health care and science day, and ever since then, I’ve just loved GCU. It has been my dream school.”
Barton is a newlywed and works as a referral coordinator for workman’s compensation in the state of Arizona.
Despite the challenges, Barton has kept her eyes on God’s plan for her life and hopes to use her long-desired degree to help others.
GCU staff writer Izabela Fogarasi can be reached at [email protected]
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