Amos Ross Updates

Hello Friends and Family,

Thank you as always for reading and following along. It’s such a blessing to feel connected to so many of you through this medium – and thank you to the many who have encouraged us to keep it up! Obviously, we would love the chance to sit down and update each of you face to face but since that’s simply not possible, we are thankful that we can do so here. Writing out these blog updates has been an important and therapeutic part of our own mental and emotional processing during this past year.

It’s been a very busy few weeks for us and I’ll try to give some organized updates in chronological order.

Trach

In my last update,  I mentioned that Will was leaving for an academic conference in Germany. Thankfully he’s back after a successful trip and only moderate amounts of jet-lag (Ha! … a 9 hour time-change). While he was away, Amos had a very important scope of his nasal and bronchial airways to take another look at why his sleep studies have shown an unsafe level of obstructive apnea while the trach is capped off. As a reminder, obstructive apnea means that there is something literally blocking the airway and keeping Amos from breathing normally. During the procedure Amos was lightly sedated, and they found that while Amos is sleeping, the musculature in his airway is relaxing too much and creating an obstruction. The reason for this is likely related to his overall recovery and strength and – much like Amos recovering his gag, cough, and swallow – should resolve over time. In fact, Amos’s improvement between the last two sleep studies shows exactly that, so we are all feeling certain the trach will come out. But not yet.

While we are still disappointed to not be getting the trach out this summer, we are truly thankful that we finally have an explanation for what’s happening, and for what needs to improve to remove the trach. So there we have it. Thank you SO MUCH for all of your prayers regarding trach issues! We feel equipped (though it would be a lie if I didn’t add “reluctant”) to carry on with Amos’ trach care as we prepare to transition back to England in a few weeks (!!!). Please pray for the logistics of machines, supplies, and general care as we think about the details of Amos having a trach in Cambridge.

Visas

We are so happy to report that our UK Visa applications have been processed and approved! Praise the Lord! This means that we will officially be allowed back into the country, and (very importantly) that Amos will be fully covered under England’s National Health System (NHS). Thank you for all of your prayers and financial assistance as we completed this tedious, expensive, and vital aspect of life as we know it for the second time. Here’s hoping that we won’t have to do it ever again! With visas confirmed, we can now move forward with more confidence as we look ahead to our September 2nd departure from California. It’s coming very quickly!

East Coast Visit

This past week we flew to Philadelphia to visit Will’s family for the week. Aside from feeling like a bit of a trial run of traveling for the boys, it was a great time of reconnecting with family that we hadn’t seen for two years! We had a great time and the boys especially enjoyed a week free from car rides, doctors appointments, and homework. I was actually very pleased with how well the boys did with such a sudden and complete change. It was good practice for the even bigger changes coming our way! While in Philly we had the chance to spend time with the boys’ grandparents, great grandparents, new cousins, and to celebrate babies and birthdays, many of which we have missed in the time we’ve been away. We saw old friends, visited some favorite old haunts, and enjoyed a Sunday at our old church. What a gift to be able to say thank you in person to so many people who have prayed for and supported our family this past year!

Transition to England (Again)

Now that we are back from Philly, we are also back into full swing with appointments. We’ll keep this up for the next two weeks or so before slowing down in preparation for heading back to England. There’s a lot that needs to happen between now and September 2nd. Please pray for us to be able to use our time and energy wisely as we wrap things up here and lay the groundwork for a smooth landing in Cambridge. We have a lot of logistics to work out, doctors to connect with, and therapy schedules to set up. And that doesn’t include packing up here!

Thank you also for the amazing support that we’ve received through our second fundraiser. Your support is vital and we are thankful beyond words to see the Lord providing through you. We still have a good bit to raise but we know that the Lord is surely faithful to give us what we need through this journey. Thank you for playing a part in this! It makes a huge difference as we seek to care for Amos in the best way we know how.

Baby #3

It’s been fun to see the boys each process the idea of a new sibling but especially Luke. Just this evening while we were sitting down for devotions, he pulled up my shirt, looked at my belly and said, “I want to play with the baby!” He then held his hands out right next to my belly and said in the most inviting way imaginable, “come out baby!”. He finished the scene with a loud kiss on “the baby”. Needless to say, it was one of the cutest things we’ve seen in a long time.

Blessings in Christ,

Kelli, Will, Amos, Lucas, and Baby #3

[Click to enlarge pictures]

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