Amos Ross Updates

Hello Friends and Family,

Thank you for so faithfully following along! We appreciate all of you especially as we linger in this hard place with Amos. Even though the place we find ourselves is hard by nature, we are glad to report that we’ve experienced a fair number of normal days with joy and laughter and fun mixed in. Praise the Lord. Recently we sang the hymn How Firm a Foundation and I couldn’t help but notice the phrase, “my grace all-sufficient shall be your supply.” Friends, you are part of that all-sufficient grace that the Lord continues to provide. Thank you for the prayers, the texts and messages, cards, and offers of help or fun or … whatever we need. We are so thankful.

In terms of updates, I’ll start with medical and move to medicinal (read: fun!).

Medically we are still waiting for the plan. Amos feels great and is enjoying the first days of summer! More on that below … But the plan right now is to continue hearing from different specialists on their recommendations and the opening of the clinical trial at Duke that we are hoping for Amos to participate in. The clinical trial is especially exciting because it would be fairly easy on Amos in every way compared to the other forms of treatment that he’s tried (especially chemo). We are very grateful for the providential timing of this clinical trial and what it might offer for Amos.

As for surgery, Amos has two phenomenal neurosurgeons working behind the scenes. It sounds like there are two possible kinds of surgery that could be right for Amos’s situation. The decision ultimately falls to us but we need more information before we decide. Please pray for consensus among the experts to help us along the way! And if you’re wondering whether we are impatient to get on with things — yes and no. The slow unfolding of things this time around (compared to last year) feels gentle. We are grateful that Amos is not in need of emergency care that would require quick decisions and little time to process or prepare. Because his tumor is relatively so small (<5mm), we have time to consider and consult. This is a mercy from the Lord.

“Medicinally,” in the meantime, Amos has been enjoying the first days of summer! Our homeschool year wrapped up this past week and we are delighted to see Amos complete his 7th grade year and receive a full slate of good grades. Greyfriars Classical Tutorials continues to be a wonderful partner in homeschooling. Amos goes two days a week and benefits from excellent teachers and the kindest friends. He’s looking forward to his last year of middle school …. after a good long summer break.

We also celebrated Amos’s 14th Birthday earlier this month. Thank you for all the birthday cards and well-wishes he received! Amos loves to get the mail and he was truly thrilled to find piles of cards for days. The Saturday before his birthday we took Amos and a group of his friends to a Charlotte Knights AAA baseball game here in Charlotte. We had such a fun time and the ballpark hosted a drone show after the game — a highlight for the teenage boys, but also pretty cool for those of us who had never seen a drone show before.

Speaking of baseball, we’ve just finished up the little league season for Luke (11) and Sam (9). Amos loves going to their games and was a faithful fan through every game he was able to attend.

Last week Amos was given the chance to fly fish in Boone at a special location — on private water — where, as Will said, “it was like fishing in the New Heavens and the New Earth!” What a treat! Amos caught the biggest trout ever seen and Will got to join in the fun as well (pic below). Special thanks for church friend, Tripp Gabriel, who arranged for this memorable opportunity and for the many hours he’s spent fishing with Amos over the years.

We are headed to the beach later this week while we let things continue to fall into place. Thank you for your continued prayers!

Much love to all,

The Ross Family

Some Photos: