TUSCALOOSA, AL — Will Roberts, the Tuscaloosa County teenager whose courageous battle with a rare form of bone cancer inspired thousands across the country, died early Thursday morning at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego.
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In a heartfelt Facebook post, Brittney Roberts said her son passed away at 12:45 a.m. on her birthday after his family made the difficult decision to transition him to comfort care.
"There isn’t a mother alive who could ever find the right words to write a post like this," she wrote. "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.
"Will is finally ringing his forever cancer-free bell as he entered the gates of Heaven," Brittney Roberts added.
She then said Will's cancer had progressed even further and that she and her husband, Jason Roberts, chose to end his suffering after exhausting every option.
"Will fought until the cancer today showed more progression of disease in his brain affecting his mental capacity," she wrote. "Jason and I made a very selfless decision tonight to stop the suffering."
Roberts said she and her husband were at their son's bedside when he took his final breath, surrounded earlier by other family members before doctors increased his sedation and removed oxygen support.
She described Will as "so much more than cancer," remembering him as a teenager whose humor, determination and faith impacted everyone around him.
Will and his family were quite public about their ongoing battles, posting regular updates on social media that were shared across the world by thousands of supporters.
Still, the brave young man facing down death meant so much more to those around him than just an inspiration for those also battling cancer.
"Will was the funniest person in the room," Brittney Roberts said. "Will had a personality that could light up a hospital floor. Will loved hard, fought harder, and never stopped believing there was another mountain to climb."
Throughout Will's illness, the family became the focus of widespread community support, with churches, friends and strangers across the country praying for his recovery and donating thousands of dollars.
"I have said from the beginning that God was going to use Will's life for His glory," Brittney Roberts said. "I still believe that today," Roberts wrote. "We have watched churches across the country pray for a child they had never met. We have watched people come back to God, strengthen their faith, and believe in the power of prayer because of Will."
Although the family prayed for a miracle, Roberts said they now find peace in believing Will has received "complete healing in Heaven."
"No child should have had to endure what Will endured," she wrote. "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."
As Patch previously reported, Will's story also drew national attention earlier this year after his plea to President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. went viral, prompting an outpouring of support and fundraising efforts to help the family with medical expenses.
As of the publication of this story, the GoFundMe campaign had raised $816,985 toward its goal of $850,000, thanks to over 11,000 individual donations ranging from small amounts to thousands.
In the video that went viral in April, Will asked for any help possible to access a form of treatment that could potentially cure his cancer.
"My mom’s found this drug that could possibly save my life if we get it in time," he said. "And chances are, this is probably the end of the road for me, and they probably won’t get it in time. But if this can help other kids with my cancer, I would love to help in any way I can."
Brittney Roberts closed her message by thanking those who supported Will throughout his battle and pledged to continue sharing his story.
"Our story with Will didn't end today. It simply changed chapters," she wrote. "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."
Tuscaloosa Patch will provide more information on funeral arrangements and memorials for Will as they become available.
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