“He’s just a kid.”
That was the thought that echoed over and over as the latest update about 14-year-old Will Roberts came in — a reminder of how fragile life can feel, and yet how powerful faith can be when everything else seems uncertain.
After a week filled with flight delays, rescheduled medical appointments, long hospital corridors, and quiet prayers whispered under fluorescent lights, the Roberts family finally received the call they had been waiting for. It came from Will’s doctor at MD Anderson Medical Center in Houston — the same place that had become both a battleground and a beacon of hope in their fight against bone cancer.
For Jason and Brittney Roberts, the call was one more chapter in a journey they never imagined taking. For Will, it was another test in a story already marked by extraordinary courage.
A Hard Road Back to Houston
Just months ago, Will underwent a life-altering surgery: a knee amputation on his left leg after being diagnosed with bone cancer. It was a devastating moment for any teenager — an age defined by growth, sports, friendships, and dreams for the future.
Yet those who know Will describe him as something rare. Brave. Steady. Even lighthearted.
After the surgery, hope cautiously returned. There were prosthetics to adjust to, physical therapy sessions to endure, and milestones to celebrate — including the emotional triumph of walking again on two legs. For a brief time, it seemed as though the storm had passed.
But cancer has a cruel way of interrupting peace.
Following two days of scans and tests in Houston, Jason and Brittney drove Will home to Ralph, Alabama. They were unpacking, trying to settle back into the rhythm of home, when Brittney’s phone rang. She knew before answering that it wouldn’t be simple news.
The surgeon’s voice confirmed their fears.
There were new spots.
Two minor ones — and another, more concerning area in Will’s pelvic region. The cancer had moved outside the bone and into soft tissue. That meant more aggressive treatment. More complex surgery. More waiting.
More uncertainty.
When Hope Is Tested
For a mother who had just watched her son take confident steps again, the news felt like the ground shifting beneath her feet.
“Watching him walk again just days ago, I thought maybe we’d finally get to breathe,” Brittney shared. “And now here we are again, holding onto faith, clinging to hope, and trusting God with what feels impossible.”
It’s a sentiment many families facing serious illness understand. The cycle of relief and heartbreak. The emotional whiplash of good news followed by devastating updates.
Yet what stands out about the Roberts family is not despair — it’s determination.
The treatment plan now includes cryoablation to freeze the two smaller cancer spots in his femur and hip. The larger soft tissue tumor will require a more significant surgical procedure. Two surgeries. Two critical days. A tight schedule that would overwhelm anyone.
But the Roberts are not walking this path alone.
A Boy Beyond His Years
If there is a light in this story, it is Will himself.
Fourteen years old — an age when most teenagers are thinking about school dances or weekend plans — and yet he carries himself with a composure that humbles even the adults around him.
His mother often speaks about his humor. His grit. His calm.
“Will amazes me,” she says. “He faces every new hit with humor, grit, and a kind of peace I can only pray to have.”
It is not that he isn’t afraid. It is not that he doesn’t understand the seriousness of his diagnosis. Rather, it is that he chooses, daily, to meet it head-on.
He jokes with nurses. He reassures friends. He focuses on what he can control — his attitude, his effort, his faith.
Courage, in Will’s case, is not loud or dramatic. It is quiet. Consistent. Remarkable.
A Family Familiar with Grief
For Jason and Brittney, this battle carries echoes of past pain.
Twelve years ago, they lost their daughter, Darby Kate, at just 68 days old due to heart complications. That loss permanently altered their world. Grief does not disappear with time; it reshapes itself, settling into the background of everyday life.
Now, as they navigate another crisis with their son, those memories resurface. The vulnerability. The helplessness. The desperate prayers.
And yet, through both tragedies, their faith remains intact.
Brittney has openly acknowledged the exhaustion — the kind that reaches beyond the physical and settles into the soul. There are days when even forming a prayer feels difficult. Days when the weight of uncertainty presses down so heavily that breathing feels like work.
But even then, she says:
“I’m still faithful. I’m not angry. I still put my trust in God.”
It is not blind optimism. It is a deliberate choice.
The Weight of Two Surgeries
The week ahead is daunting.
One surgery is scheduled to remove the soft tissue tumor. Another will address the cancer spots in his femur. Hospital stays, recovery rooms, medical updates, and long hours in waiting areas lie ahead.
For any family, that schedule would be terrifying. For the Roberts, it is another mountain to climb.
Yet in between the appointments and pre-surgical briefings, they hold tight to small, precious moments:
A shared laugh.
A successful step.
A quiet conversation before bed.
A prayer spoken together.
These ordinary fragments of life become anchors in the storm.
Faith as an Anchor
Faith does not erase fear. It does not eliminate pain or guarantee outcomes. But for the Roberts family, it provides something equally powerful — steadiness.
When everything else feels unstable, their belief gives them something firm to stand on.
They lean on their church community. On friends who send messages and meals. On doctors and nurses who bring expertise and compassion. On each other.
And most of all, on the conviction that this story is not over.
Will may be 14, but he has already shown the kind of perseverance that inspires people far beyond his hometown. He represents something universal — the strength of a child who refuses to let diagnosis define destiny.
A Story Still Being Written
It would be easy to focus solely on the medical details: scans, tumors, procedures, recovery timelines. But this story is about more than cancer.
It is about family.
It is about resilience in the face of crushing news.
It is about faith that survives heartbreak.
Will Roberts is, in every sense, a warrior. Not because he never feels fear — but because he keeps moving forward despite it.
Jason and Brittney embody a quieter heroism — the kind displayed by parents who sit in hospital rooms, who ask hard questions, who hold their child’s hand through pain, and who choose hope again and again, even after devastating loss.
As they prepare to return to Houston, they do so knowing the road will not be easy. But they also know this:
They have walked hard roads before.
They have endured grief before.
And they have learned that even in the darkest chapters, light can still break through.
For now, they ask for prayers. For strength. For healing. For peace in the waiting.
And as Will faces yet another challenge, one truth remains clear:
Heroes are not defined by age. They are defined by the willingness to stand back up, to keep fighting, and to believe that tomorrow still holds possibility.
Will Roberts is just a kid.
But his courage speaks louder than fear — and his story is far from finished.