On Thursday, Brittney Roberts, the mother of Alabama teenager Will Roberts, whose battle with stage 4 osteosarcoma went viral and reached the White House, posted this sad news to her Facebook page.
Will is finally ringing his forever cancer free bell as he entered the gates of Heaven!!!
At 12:45am(central time)today, on my birthday, our precious Will took his final breath on this earth and entered the presence of Jesus.
Me, Jason, Charlie, granny, and my dad gathered around his bed and loved on him until the doctors could get everything together to prepare and remove the oxygen and increase sedation. Once that time came, me and Jason were the only ones with him when he took his last breath.
There isn’t a mother alive who could ever find the right words to write a post like this. I have stared at this screen, started over more times than I can count, and the truth is… there are no words big enough for a loss like this.
In the April 24 Feel-Good Friday column, I featured Will's story as the Roberts fought to get an experimental treatment to combat their son's rare form of aggressive bone cancer. Will had posted a video on Brittney Roberts' Facebook, saddened that the chemotherapy was having no effect in stopping the cancer, and expressing his distress over the rapid spread of the cancer throughout his body. That video went viral and reached all the way to the White House. Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz helped open the door for Will to obtain an experimental treatment called DeltaRex-G, which was only available in California. Through many miracles, the family was transported to California, and the administration of the treatment for Will had begun.
For a few weeks, the treatment plan appeared to be showing progress. Will — and the Roberts family — knew it was a long shot. In that video, Will expressed his desire to just have a chance to try, knowing that this opportunity might not save his life, but could be beneficial for other young people like himself battling this horrific cancer.
Brittney Roberts acknowledged this in her message and reaffirmed that her child was a fighter, for himself and others:
Will fought until the cancer today showed more progression of disease in his brain effecting his mental capacity. Jason and I made a very selfless decision tonight to stop the suffering.
No child should have had to endure what Will endured. Yet every single day, Will found a reason to smile, crack a joke, encourage someone else, or remind us all what real strength looked like. Will never quit. Neither did we.
We prayed for healing every single day. We begged God for one more miracle. While our hearts desperately wanted healing here, God chose complete healing in Heaven.
Even more heartbreaking: Thursday was Brittney's birthday. Yet... she rejoiced in God's goodness that her son was free from pain, despite her own pain.
What a beautiful gift that God gave me today on my birthday….a celebration that there is no more cancer and Will entered into the kingdom of Heaven!!!! What better gift could I have received than to know my baby boy is sitting with Jesus and is cancer free….
Brittney thanked all who followed, prayed, and supported their journey with Will, and committed that his story did not end with his earthly life.
As shattered as our hearts are tonight, I know exactly where Will is and he is not suffering. That is the only thing giving me the strength to write these words.
Thank you all for loving Will.
Thank you for praying. Thank you for believing. Thank you for carrying our family when we couldn’t carry ourselves.
Our story with Will didn’t end today. It simply changed chapters. We will spend the rest of our lives making sure the world knows who Will was, what God did through Will’s life, and how one fifteen-year-old changed more lives than most people ever will.
Dr. Mehmet Oz and the Alabama elected officials who helped facilitate Will Roberts' journey to California offered these condolences.
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz.
We just lost a remarkable young man. Will Roberts faced advanced osteosarcoma with extraordinary courage, surrounded every step of the way by the unwavering love of his parents and a medical team that pursued every advanced treatment modern medicine could offer. Some battles… pic.twitter.com/NezLxr534x
— Dr. Oz CMS (@DrOzCMS) July 24, 2026
We just lost a remarkable young man. Will Roberts faced advanced osteosarcoma with extraordinary courage, surrounded every step of the way by the unwavering love of his parents and a medical team that pursued every advanced treatment modern medicine could offer. Some battles remind us how much work remains. Let’s honor Will by redoubling our commitment to finding cures so that no more families have to endure this devastating disease.
AL Sen. Katie Britt (R).
Wesley and I are deeply saddened to hear this news this morning. Will was an incredible fighter, a national inspiration, and a powerful example of courage and perseverance in the face of the unthinkable.
— Senator Katie Boyd Britt (@SenKatieBritt) July 23, 2026
The entire state of Alabama mourns this loss. Please join us in praying for… https://t.co/HhVkwKwR2I
Wesley and I are deeply saddened to hear this news this morning. Will was an incredible fighter, a national inspiration, and a powerful example of courage and perseverance in the face of the unthinkable.
The entire state of Alabama mourns this loss. Please join us in praying for his parents, Jason and Brittney, family, friends, and loved ones.
And AL gubernatorial candidate and Sen. Tommy Tuberville.
Will fought to the finish and inspired millions of people across our country during his 15 years on earth.
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) July 23, 2026
Please join me in praying for the Roberts family and Will’s friends as they navigate this heartbreaking loss.https://t.co/AWEa7kpuL8
Will fought to the finish and inspired millions of people across our country during his 15 years on earth.
Please join me in praying for the Roberts family and Will’s friends as they navigate this heartbreaking loss.
And as a further testament to just how many people have been touched by Will's story, country music star Lainey Wilson paid tribute to him at the Grand Ole Opry Thursday evening.
.@laineywilson honors #WillRoberts an Alabama teen who died Thursday of bone cancer with “I’ll Fly Away” at the @opry Thursday night.
— Rick Karle (@RickKarle) July 24, 2026
More on Will’s faith here:https://t.co/a8S0uKAYvr@DevlinHodges10 @AMAs #LaineyandWill#Nashville #ThanksLainey pic.twitter.com/IyFcqJJ19d
If you followed the Roberts' journey at all, even on these pages, please lift them in prayer. They still need to make it back to Alabama and transport Will's body, so their Tuscaloosa community is holding a fundraiser on Saturday.
A Tuscaloosa County restaurant is hosting a fundraiser this weekend to support the family of Will Roberts with expenses, including bringing him home from California.
Tiffany Etheridge, owner of Henry's Burgers and Cream, created the Will Roberts Burger, with proceeds going to his family. The effort quickly gained widespread attention.
"It went viral. I had people from all around calling, wanting to buy these burgers for me to donate them to police officers or donate them to people in need. That kind of led me to want to do more," Etheridge said.
Etheridge, whose children went to school with Roberts, said his journey has been deeply personal for her.
"As a mom, I cannot imagine watching one of my kids go through that. I feel like this is nothing, what I'm doing is absolutely nothing to truly take that burden off. But we really don't know how else we can help," she said.
AL journalist Rick Karle, who has helped bring greater awareness to Will Roberts and children like him battling rare cancers, posted the Roberts' address for those who want to reach out with condolence cards, a birthday card for Brittney Roberts, or notes.
The Roberts Family
14086 Sipsey Valley Rd. South
Ralph, AL 35480
The Roberts' journey has been heartwarming, heartening, and heartbreaking all at once. It takes great courage to share it publicly, but Brittney Roberts has faithfully done so, even before it reached national and international awareness. Will Roberts made a huge impact in his 15 years, and like those who knew and loved him, that impact is not over.
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