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.
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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.
