Camp Hope isn't just a weeklong affair for Barker. She was in search of baseball mitts for camp when she was invited a few years ago to speak to a women's group. Afterward, one of the women nominated her to carry the Olympic torch as it passed through Wichita on the way to the Atlanta Summer Olympics. The shirt, shorts and other memorabilia she collected hang on the wall in her reception area. Barker, who is divorced, has a grown son, and her motherly instincts show up as she interacts with patients at her office.
Barker seems to instill feelings of trust and security.
Linda Adwell, mother of two, tells of calling Barker one night, worried about her baby's pneumonia. Barker got down on his level, examining him as he sat in a pint-sized chair. Barker's way with patients probably is a reflection of the three years she spent in Central America right after medical school. It just gives you a different perspective of everything. It really works on the art of medicine.