PANAMA CITY — At the end of the parade of 34 UPS vehicles, the delivery driver stopped and handed the young boy a package — he even made him sign for it, to reinforce the authenticity of this interaction. Inside was a die cast model UPS racing car. The only response the boy could give was “happy.”
“He’s been unable to describe his feelings in two years,” Jessica Davis said.
UPS delivery driver Robbi Hodson organized the parade for Ross Davis at the Panama City UPS center on Friday. She had first noticed the 7-year-old jumping up and down in excitement at the window of the Port St. Joe Elementary school office, unable to express his excitement in words, when he saw the signature brown truck. Hodson asked about Ross and learned he suffered from Sanfilippo Syndrome, a rare, genetic and degenerative brain disorder.
Jessica Davis and her husband Andrew Davis are hoping to have five more years with their son. In that time, he will lose the function of his legs and become wheelchair bound. They went to a conference with other parents of Sanfilippo children and near the end of their lives the children almost reach a vegetative state.
Before 4-years-old, Jessica described Ross as a normal boy, with a great memory for his age. Then at 4 and a half, Ross started to forget words and have more bathroom accidents. He was initially diagnosed with autism and then with a brain tumor, Ciari malformation, but even after surgery Ross did not improve. The family learned of the San Filipo diagnosis on Oct. 28 and the news that Ross would likely only live to be 12.
“It was devastating,” Jessica said.
On Dec. 5, they learned that their 2-year-old daughter, Meredith, also has Sanfilippo Syndrome. As of now her mental ability is still ascending and the Davises are holding out hope for a miracle cure.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Jessica said.
The way the family has coped, the approach they will continue to take is that they have tried to make the most of the moments they have left with Ross. They have traveled to the Smoky Mountains and to Disney World — their brand new truck already has 20,000 miles on the odometer.
And Ross has always loved the “brown-truck man,” as he called him. When he was 2, Ross would be unable to nap knowing the brown-truck man was coming. After his surgery, Jessica needed to inspire him to walk. She got him to approach the window of the hospital room just to look for UPS trucks. What would have been a 10-day recovery took only four days. Jessica believes Ross’ affinity comes from his love of vehicles and that this particular vehicle brought him stuff.
To Hodson, who believes it is her duty to give back to the community, it was more than enough to give back that love by letting Ross sit inside a semi-truck and delivery truck and giving him a model race car.
“Do I feel good that I have a group of employees that care about the community? Yes,” UPS General Manager Jeff Gibbs said. “But, we do it because it’s the right thing to do.”