First off, I want to say thank you. Seriously. Every text, call, prayer, and check-in—means the world. I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t stop and wonder: What in the world have we gotten ourselves into? And how on earth are we going to get through it? I’ve fixed a lot of things in my life, pushed through a lot of hard spots—but nothing I’ve ever done holds a candle to this. This one’s completely out of my hands. Out of my control. It’s a helpless feeling. 

The past couple of weeks have felt the most “normal” for me work-wise since her diagnosis. I was out west Monday through Thursday this week, and man—it was good for the soul. I miss my family like crazy when I’m gone, and I know it’s not ideal, but the bills don’t pay themselves. I’m thankful for the work and especially thankful for Josh—if he happens to read this, just know I’m grateful. He’s been incredibly supportive, giving me the flexibility I need, and making space for me to vent when I need to.

I also want to take a minute to recognize Amy. She’s been helping our family (since school is over) in more ways than I can count. She’s a hard worker, thoughtful, kind and has stepped up in ways that most people wouldn’t even think about. She’s been a real blessing to our family and has taken a special interest in learning the hospital ropes. We’re grateful for her.

Yesterday (Friday), I told Rose—I’ve had about 8 to 12 calls from the hospital today. Every department under the sun wanting or needing something from me. Somewhere in the middle of all that, we got a few updates. After round 4, they did more testing to see how the cancer is responding. The update: it’s now only showing in the tumor and a few lymph nodes. Those are still active and growing, and they need to come out. So, surgery is scheduled for Monday. They’ll be making about an 8” incision across her belly.

To be honest, I’ve been praying since day one that she wouldn’t have to go through this part—that the chemo and immunotherapy would do the job. That prayer wasn’t answered how I hoped. So here we are. Under the knife she goes. The goal is for this surgery to get the rest of the growing cancer out of her body. After recovery, we move forward with round 5 of chemo.

We’ve had help come in from all over, and we appreciate every single bit of it. The gifts for the kids, the financial support, the prayers—thank you for showing up for us. It matters more than you know.

Jake


Prayer Request & Praise Update for Avry Jo — Surgery & Scans Ahead

Dear friends, family, and prayer warriors,
We’re coming to you with hearts full of both praise and petition as we enter another big week for our sweet girl. Avry Jo is scheduled for major surgery this Monday, June 16 at 12:30 PM to remove remaining tumors and enlarged lymph nodes.

While scans can only tell part of the story, we’ve seen incredible progress:
🙏 Just three months ago, there was such a large mass that the doctors couldn’t even tell what was what.
🙏 Now, the largest tumor has shrunk over 6 centimeters.
🙏 Most of the lymph nodes have significantly decreased.
🙏 And just yesterday, the surgeon said, “We are in the best position we possibly could be.”

That means there are no arteries tangled through the main tumor on the right adrenal gland—a huge answer to prayer. But even with this good news, this is still a major surgery, and we are asking for your intentional prayers to cover every moment.

⸻

What Monday’s Surgery Looks Like:

Avry will undergo a laparotomy to remove the tumor on her right adrenal gland, which sits just above her kidney and near the liver—making it a very delicate procedure. The tumor is now about 3x2cm (domino-sized)—shrunk from its original 6x9cm.

The surgery will last 2 to 4 hours, with a 5- to 8-inch incision across her belly. Because the tumor is near major blood vessels, the surgical team will proceed with extreme caution.
One unknown is how “sticky” the tumor is—if it’s tightly attached to other tissues, they may need to remove it in pieces, and in the worst-case scenario, make a second incision from her back to get it all out.

Dr. Naiditch is incredibly skilled and confident, and while scans don’t show everything, we trust that she is ready for whatever she finds. Quite a few lymph nodes will also be removed—she will be able to tell which ones need to come out- if they appear hard or enlarged, they’re likely cancerous. 

We’re still finalizing pain management (3 options are being discussed), and there’s a strong chance that her intestines will “fall asleep” post-op, which can delay feeding and recovery. The plan is to stay on the trauma/surgical floor for 2–3 days, and we’re hopeful to be home within 7 days, if all goes smoothly.

And one incredible praise we are clinging to:
🩵 The cancer in her neck, spine, and hips is gone. Completely gone.

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Whenever Avry has a procedure or needs to be sedated, we wear our #MiraclesForAvry shirts—as a tangible way to surround her with faith and strength. If you have one, we’d love for you to wear it on Monday and pray with us. She needs all the love, energy, and prayer we can offer.

You can also sign up on the Support Registry to cover a specific hour in prayer during her surgery. It would mean so much to know she’s being held up every minute by people who love her.

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🩵 Prayer Requests:

— For Avry’s protection during surgery and complete healing
— For God to guide Dr. Naiditch’s hands with wisdom and precision
— For the entire medical team—surgeons, techs, nurses—to be alert, gentle, and led by peace
— For Jake and me as we walk through these intense days by her side
— For minimal pain, gentle recovery, and a Hydro-shield of divine protection over every inch of her tiny body

⸻

🩷 Praises:

— The chemo is working incredibly well
— Tumors and lymph nodes are shrinking
— Her body has shown unbelievable strength and resilience
— Our Avry girl still shines with joy that lights up every room

⸻

Your prayers carry us. Your love sustains us.
We believe in a God of miracles—and we’re trusting Him every step of the way.

With all our love and gratitude,
—Rose, Jake & Family

#AvryJoStrong #MiraclesForAvryJo #GodOurHealer #MiracleInMotion

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly;
who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
-Theodore Roosevelt
(Rose gifted this to me this Father’s Day and I’m passing it along)