Gary moves back to Barrie

It's one small step closer to home for Gary.

With Gayle at his side, Gary made the move back to Barrie's Royal Victoria Hospital yesterday after a 12-week stint on a respiratory program at Toronto East General Hospital. The staff in Barrie missed him dearly since he left for Toronto in January, and have been following along with his progress all this time. 

When he came back, they took great efforts to make sure his return to Barrie was memorable. Gary was over the moon when he saw what awaited him:

Gary's still not completely off the ventilator yet. He has, however, been able to breathe on his own for up to six hours - a full quarter of a day - without the machine. As seen below, the eating test he recently passed allowed him enjoy a hearty meal that included chocolate milk, beef brisket and chocolate cake.

The move to Barrie brings him much closer to his friends in Muskoka, and to Gayle and the Muskoka Chautauqua staff. Everyone at Muskoka Chautauqua is hopeful his next stop will be right back here in Muskoka, where he belongs.