LDL. Alabama Teen Faces Critical Scan Days as His Mother Shares a Powerful Message of Faith
It is Thursday morning in Ralph, Alabama, and a family — along with an entire community of supporters — is holding its breath.
Fourteen-year-old Will Roberts is preparing for two days of scans that will determine the next chapter in his battle against bone cancer. His last imaging, taken a month ago, delivered devastating news: the cancer had spread throughout much of his body. Since then, Will has been taking a chemotherapy pill, and his family has been praying for one simple but desperate outcome — that the medication has stopped the disease from progressing.
On the eve of these scans, Will’s mother, Brittney Roberts, shared a deeply emotional message that has resonated far beyond their small Alabama town.
“Tomorrow is a big day for us,” Brittney wrote. “It’s Will’s scan day. The last scans showed his cancer had spread almost everywhere in his little body. We’re on a chemo pill now, and our prayer has been simple and desperate all at once — that it has stopped the progression. It won’t kill it, but right now I am pleading with God to just stop the spread.”
Brittney says she prays the same words every day.
“Thank you, God, for healing Will and destroying every cancer cell in his body. I refuse to speak anything other than full healing, because I know my God is bigger than anything that stands against it.”
The day before the scans was emotionally exhausting. Brittney described working late, leaving frustrated, and going straight to church without even changing her clothes — feeling overwhelmed and out of place. But during the service, something unexpected happened.
“At the end of the service, Will leaned over and said, ‘Mom, I’m going to go up to the altar and pray,’” she wrote.
As Brittney followed her son and her husband, Jason, to the altar, she placed her hands on Will’s back and began to pray. But instead of praying for her own son, she felt her heart turn outward — toward another mother and another child who was also suffering.
“I prayed for another mama’s son,” she wrote. “A name I never expected to flow from my mouth… a name that, in my human weakness, has too often been followed by words I won’t repeat inside a church house. But God.”
In that moment, Brittney said she realized how deeply her own child is covered in prayer, and how many others are also quietly facing their own heartbreak.
“What about the mama who is just as afraid for her son’s future?” she wrote. “Some might say they brought it on themselves. But to judge them made me no better than those who mocked, spat on, and tortured the One who hung on a cross for all of us.”
With tears streaming down her face, Brittney said she felt conviction — not condemnation, but the kind that humbles and softens.
“God softened my heart tonight. I know my son is loved. So tonight, I prayed for another mama’s son… God, let him feel loved.”
As scan day arrived, Brittney wrote that God had reminded her who she is called to be — even when fear is overwhelming.
“Tomorrow we face scans. Tonight, God reminded me who I am called to be… Sometimes that is hard.”
Now, as Will undergoes critical testing that could shape his treatment and future, his family is surrounded by prayers from across the country.
Supporters are also invited to help in tangible ways. Will’s GoFundMe page remains active, and the family welcomes letters and cards from anyone who wishes to encourage him.
Mail can be sent to:
Will Roberts
14086 Sipsey Valley Rd. S
Ralph, AL 35480
As Brittney, Jason, and Will wait for results, one thing is clear: their story has become a reminder of faith, compassion, and the strength it takes to keep loving — even when the road is terrifying.
And for now, all anyone can do is hope and pray for good news. 🙏
