Amos Ross Updates

Dear Friends,

Thanks so much for your prayers! We are so thankful to report that Amos had another clear scan showing no recurrence of cancer. We are so grateful for this gift and strive to not take it for granted! We are also celebrating that, with this clear scan behind us, Amos will now be able to shift from a scan every 3-4 months one every 6 months. This feels huge to us! Looking back on the days when he had a scan every 10, 12, 14, or 16 weeks, this new schedule feels like a really important milestone for Amos and our family. Thank you for enduring with us! You’ll have to wait 6 months for the next one…

It was really nice for me to be able to accompany Amos on this trip. It’s been a little over 6 months since I last saw his doctors in CA and I never come away without immense gratitude for the care they provide. They go above and beyond for Amos and we love them for it!

I also wanted to share a song that has become sort of an “MRI day tradition”. It’s called Marching On by Rend Collective and we like to play it in the car as we drive to CHOC for each scan (Will and Amos started the tradition!). For me, making that drive, taking the familiar exit, seeing the hospital approaching, and knowing that I don’t know what the next several hours hold, triggers so many memories and emotions. I love the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, which for many months felt like home! But I also know the pain, fears, and hard, hard times we experienced there. What I love about this song is that it reminds me of the simple fact that the battle belongs to the Lord and no one else.

Going into battle is an apt analogy for cancer treatment and as a family, it feels like we’ve been in battle mode for quite a while  (or maybe we’re just tired so it still feels like battle mode!?). Being reminded to sing “Hallelujah” in the midst of “the chaos, the crisis, the long nights, the hard fights…” nearly always brings me to tears. I am unspeakably grateful to know that no matter what greets me when I walk through the doors of the hospital, I know that the battle belongs to the Lord and he has already defeated the greatest enemy of all – sin and death. What a glorious truth and what hope for weary hearts. I still cry my eyes out but they aren’t purely tears of sorrow or pain. They are tears of hope and praise as well. Praise God for the salvation He gives in Christ.

You can listen here!

“And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.” 2 Chronicles 20:15

In other news, Amos did more than just see doctors in California! He also lost  – and I mean actually lost – his very first tooth. We celebrated his clear scan with a plate full of his favorite BBQ ribs and low and behold, that sneaky loose tooth is gone for good! Amos didn’t seem to mind and is pretty proud of his cute little snaggly smile.

As always, thanks for reading and praying!

In Christ,

Kelli, Will, Amos, Luke, and Sam