**please see upcoming update from Lori with link to new GFM for Ross**

Hi all, thank you for all the prior donations to this GoFundMe. They were essential for Ross over the last six months. Rainya is no longer involved and the platform does not allow us to replace an organizer. Therefore, we will have to make a new GFM. As soon as the new GFM is established, I will pop back in here and leave a link to the new one. Thanks so much for your love and care toward Ross. Best, Lori Taylor 12/19/25

Help Carter Fight Cancer and Rebuild His Life

[Apparently, whether you know him as “Ross” or “Carter” depends on how far away he was living from his family when you met him. He’s always been Carter to me!]

Twenty-five years ago, I met Carter through an online writers’ group. What started as a shared love of words has grown into one of the most meaningful friendships of my life. When Carter faced some of his most difficult moments this past year, my family opened our home to him, and he's been on a journey of healing and self-discovery with us ever since.

None of us expected that journey would lead to a cancer diagnosis.

A Friend Worth Fighting For

Carter is one of those rare people who gives more than he takes. Even while staying with us and rebuilding his life after losing his business, home, and savings during the pandemic, he's been contributing however he could. Lucky for me, that includes laundry and dishes, two of my least favorite chores!

But when he discovered a growing spot in his mouth, everything changed.

The Reality He's Facing

Carter's story, which he's bravely shared below, reveals the harsh reality of navigating a serious illness without resources. He's now facing extensive oral surgery at Parkland Health Services—a procedure that will remove tumors from his cheek, gums, tongue, and mouth, potentially requiring reconstruction using bone and tissue from his leg.

The medical team has been clear: This is going to be extremely painful, and depending on what pathology reveals, he may need additional surgeries and ongoing treatment. Through it all, Carter will need regular clinical visits and imaging scans for the foreseeable future.

Why I'm Asking for Your Help

I've watched Carter face these challenges with remarkable grace and determination. He's found an incredible medical team, he's doing everything right, and he's ready to fight. He’s not fighting alone—my family and I are with him on this path—but more help is needed.

Carter has always been there for others—as a friend, a writer, and simply as someone who cares. Now it's our turn to be there for him. Your support will help cover his medical expenses, basic living costs during recovery, and give him the breathing room he needs to focus on healing instead of worrying about survival.

A Small Investment in a Big Heart

Every donation, no matter the size, makes a difference. You're not just helping with medical bills—you're giving Carter the chance to rebuild his life, return to the work he loves, and continue being the generous, caring person who has touched so many lives over the years.

Please read Carter's story below and consider joining us in supporting someone who truly deserves a fighting chance.

Carter Ross & Rainya

From Ross/Carter:

The Situation

A few months ago, I found a spot growing in the back of my mouth. If I’d had medical insurance, I’d have had it seen quickly. But it had to wait.

I’ve been staying with friends while I work to get my life back together. I’ve been using the last of my savings to keep the phone connected, the car insured, and gasoline in the car.

Not that my savings were much to begin with. During the pandemic, I lost my business, my home, and most of my belongings. I also lost my credit rating when I defaulted on the credit card debt from my ex’s liver transplant and Dad’s cancer treatments.

For months I’ve been getting by doing some freelance work and donating plasma twice a week. That helped, but the plasma donation has rules. A person can’t donate plasma if they’ve had any kind of biopsies, any blood workups, or if they’re seeing doctors for any sort of medical illness. I’d have to give up that part of my income before getting started with medical attention.

By April, my mouth was getting painful. A dear friend who knew what was going on gave me an amazing gift: They’d replace the income I was getting from plasma donation if I’d stop donating and get some medical attention. Of course I agreed, and the timing helped more than we could have guessed.

The Diagnosis

I looked around and found Parkland Health Services. They’re the Dallas health system that provides affordable healthcare for indigent and low-income residents in the county. They have a financial assistance program. It’s not insurance, and it doesn’t cover everything, but it makes things possible that otherwise aren’t.

I went to their nearest walk-in clinic and met the first of my team. We got to know each other a bit and I showed them what was worrying me. Things got really busy after that.

I’ve had two rounds of biopsies; CTs of head, neck, and chest; lab workups; and many medical appointments. I’ve sacrificed a couple of teeth to get the tissue samples we needed.

The folks at Parkland are amazing. I didn’t know until well-into this that Parkland is home to the UT Southwestern Medical School, and one of the highest ranked medical facilities in the world. I can see why. Everyone I’ve seen are the most qualified and educated medical professionals. They’re great at communicating and I can check online to review all my medical records, my lab results, my instructions, and my appointments.

The Plan

My team has steadily grown bigger, but the tumors have, too.

The tumors now run from my left cheek, my left lower gums, around the back of my mouth, the bottom of my mouth, and the left side of my tongue.

There’s a specific plan for the first surgery. My team will remove all the visible tumors and discolored tissue, and they’ll take out an extra five millimeters on all sides and underneath. A big part of my tongue, cheek, skin, and gums will be part of that. They’ll also run a flexoscope down my throat to see if anything has grown in that direction. If so, they’ll take that out, too.

Everything they remove will be sent to pathology. Their team will do their best to determine how aggressive these growths are, how clean the outer edges look, and how confident they are in their analysis. Strictly speaking, this is all still considered diagnostic.

They’ll keep me in the hospital till I’m well enough to go home, and a few days after that we’ll get the pathology report from the lab.

The Schedule

Tomorrow, July 2, Parkland’s scheduling department will call to let me know what time to arrive on July 3. Once I’m there, we’ll get started.

Everything we do after that depends on what the pathologists see.

They may decide I need another surgery immediately. They might decide to do some imaging with a CT or PET scan to see if anything turns up there. They may decide to give it a month to see if anything starts growing back.

If any of those things show there’s more that needs to come out, my team will get more aggressive. First they’ll take out anything showing up on reports or imaging. They’ll also widen all the margins from five millimeters to ten. That will require them to take part of my jaw out and replace it using bone and tissue from my leg.

No matter what they find, I’ll be going in for regular clinical visits and imaging scans for the foreseeable future.

Asking For Help

It’s not easy asking for this kind of help, but I’ve been given a couple of pieces of advice that has helped. The first was, “You don’t have to feel bad or guilty to receive help when it’s freely given.” The second was, “Nobody can help if you keep what you need a secret.”

In that spirit, I’m not keeping it a secret that I need the help.

My friend Rainya is putting this GoFundMe campaign together to help me ask for it.

With your help, a lot of hard work, and this amazing team of medical professionals I’ve met, I’ll do the hard work to make it through this health crisis and back on my feet.

Thank you very much,

Ross (aka Carter)