Amos Ross Updates

Dear Friends,

Thank you for praying. We’ve had a productive week back at CHOC and we continue to be thankful for the chance to be here. Amos seems to be enjoying many of the things he enjoyed over the summer- the playroom, the playground, and walking the halls in hopes of seeing friends. He’s very comfortable here and we are thankful for that. He’s had a busy week that started out with his port and then jumped right into his first round of chemotherapy.

Watching Amos go through this first treatment was very hard for me (mom) but Amos handled it very well. He complained of nausea a few times and is currently dealing with some sores in his mouth but other than that, he seems fine, though tired. He’s had lots of fun moments doing therapy and getting to play with new things. He’s especially enjoying stickers and painting right now. One highlight from the week was getting to choose from costumes being handed out on the hall. Amos chose to be a pirate and I must say that he made the cutest pirate I’ve ever seen!

Amos also made some exciting progress with his speech/feeding therapist. Amos is finally beginning to swallow again! Praise the Lord! We’ve suspected this for a few weeks now but this was the first time it’s been confirmed by someone who knows what they are looking for. Amos was able to try a lollipop- pretty much the first thing he’s tasted in a very long time. It was so exciting to see him enjoy a few licks of his peach lolly. And to see him swallow as he licked was even better! Hi tongue is still not moving too much but we see tiny bits of improvement each day. We are very encouraged by Amos’ progress here and hope and pray for things to continue to improve with his swallowing and tongue movement.

This week we also started to transition Amos from a formula diet to a blended whole foods diet. We are really excited for him to be back on real food and pray that this will help strengthen him throughout the chemo treatments. We’ve been inspired by the folks at the Maxlove Project and the Kickcancer movement to place a high emphasis on doing all that we can to help Amos be strong and healthy during and after his treatments. It’s daunting to think of all that he’s being put through but it’s encouraging to know that there are things we can do to help. Most importantly, it’s our greatest comfort to know that the Lord holds Amos’ body and soul in his infinitely capable and loving hands.

As we look ahead to this week, we have several things to look forward to. Tomorrow, our pastor and his wife from Cambridge are visiting. They’ve become dear friends and we are so thankful for their desire to make the effort to visit us! Second, we hope to discharge from CHOC on Wednesday. Amos has been at CHOC for almost a week now but typically, he’ll only be inpatient for 3-4 days each treatment. He’s been kept longer this time mainly because we are waiting to do a sleep study that can only be done on an inpatient basis. We look forward to all being at home together by Wednesday.

Please pray this week that….

-We would trust the Lord as we continue to adjust to all that is happening and has happened these past weeks and months.

-For Amos to be well and recover from the first round of treatments.

-For Amos to continue to swallow and to make great progress with swallowing and using his tongue.

-For the chemotherapy to be fully effective and that there would be no lasting side effects for Amos and most importantly, no more cancer. Ever.

-We would all settle in a bit more as we get to be together in our new CA home. May the Lord give us peace and hope as we face these days.

“Commit your way to the Lord
trust in Him and He will do this:
He will make your righteousness
shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause
like the noonday sun.”
Psalm 37:5-6

Thank you! Love,

Kelli, Will, Amos, and Lucas