A 15-year-old Tuscaloosa County teenager, Will Roberts, died early Thursday morning, July 23, 2026, at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego.
His family confirmed he had been battling stage four bone cancer for over a year.
His mother, Brittney Roberts, announced his death in a Facebook post. She said he passed away at 12:45 a.
m. after the family decided to transition him to comfort care when the disease progressed into his brain.
Roberts gained national attention in April after posting a plea on social media seeking access to specialized medical treatments.
Public figures helped him obtain experimental care at the Sarcoma Oncology Center in California.
A GoFundMe campaign raised more than $816,000 from over 11,000 donors to support the family's medical expenses.
“There isn’t a mother alive who could ever find the right words to write a post like this,” Brittney Roberts 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.”
The family expressed gratitude for the widespread support and prayers from across the country throughout his treatment.
“Will is finally ringing his forever cancer-free bell as he entered the gates of Heaven,” Brittney Roberts added.
She detailed the progression of his condition before the family decided to stop curative interventions.
“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.”
Describing her son beyond his diagnosis, she shared memories of his personality and strength. “Will was the funniest person in the room,” she 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.”
She reflected on the broader impact of her son's journey.
“I have said from the beginning that God was going to use Will's life for His glory,” Brittney Roberts said.
“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.”
She emphasized her son's endurance. “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.”
During his public appeal for experimental treatment, Will Roberts had shared his perspective.
“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.”
Concluding her post, Brittney Roberts vowed to keep her son's memory active. “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.”
In a separate statement, she noted his passing occurred on her birthday. “At 12:45 a.
m.
today, on my birthday, our precious Will took his final breath on this earth and entered the presence of Jesus,” she wrote.
She expressed appreciation for public support. “You have prayed when we didn’t have the strength,” she wrote.
“You celebrated every victory with us and cried through every setback.
You loved Will like family, and we will spend the rest of our lives grateful for every single one of you.”
She added details about his demeanor during his hospital stay.
“Will was stubborn enough to drive us crazy one minute and make us laugh the next,” she wrote.
She described the personal meaning of the timing. “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,” she wrote.
In her final message to her son, she expressed gratitude for being his parent.
“Until I see you again, Will…I love you more than words will ever be able to say.
It has been the greatest honor of my life to be your mama,” she wrote.
Will Roberts is survived by his parents, Jason and Brittney Roberts, and his sister, Charlie. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.
