An Alabama teen whose viral cancer plea helped secure access to an experimental treatment is now facing new challenges, including a delay in travel for care and mounting financial strain, as supporters have launched a fundraiser on his behalf.
In a recent update, Will Roberts’ mother said the family was unable to travel to California for treatment as soon as expected after he did not meet the necessary platelet levels.
“We did not reach platelet count today so a trip to Santa Monica will not be happening as soon as tomorrow,” she wrote, adding that the family remains in communication with doctors and is preparing for the next clinic visit in Birmingham.
She said recent lab results have shown some improvement, but the overall outlook remains uncertain.
“On paper, the numbers say this treatment is working,” she wrote, noting that his alkaline phosphatase levels have dropped. However, she added that his oncologist has not seen a child survive with this level of disease progression on the current course of treatment.
The update highlights a difficult decision facing the family — whether to continue the current treatment showing some improvement or move forward with the experimental option, knowing the opportunity may be limited.
“Do you stay the course because the numbers are improving? Or do you push forward toward something else knowing this window may not stay open?” she wrote.
As the family weighs those decisions, a GoFundMe campaign organized by supporters on their behalf has raised significant support to help cover the costs associated with treatment, travel, and time away from work.
The fundraiser, which was not created by the family, has raised more than $588,000 toward a $650,000 goal through thousands of donations, according to the campaign page.
In a separate post, Roberts’ mother said sharing the fundraiser publicly was a difficult step, noting that others had already begun organizing support efforts for the family.
“This is me choosing Will and our family over my discomfort,” she wrote, describing the emotional challenge of asking for help.
She also detailed the financial strain tied to the next phase of treatment, including the possibility of relocating to California, where the experimental drug DeltaRex-G is administered.
“We are now standing in a place where we may have to stop life as we know it,” she wrote, describing the challenge of maintaining two households while pursuing treatment out of state.
The latest developments follow Roberts’ widely shared video in which he asked the public to help spread his story as he battles osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer.
His plea quickly gained traction, leading to contact with doctors in California and an opportunity to pursue treatment with DeltaRex-G, an experimental gene therapy that has shown early promise in patients with advanced cancers but is not widely approved as a standard treatment.
The Alabama teen’s video continues to circulate online as supporters share his story.
Roberts’ mother said the family is continuing to prepare for that possibility while navigating the uncertainty of his current condition.
The situation remains fluid, according to the family, as they work with doctors to determine the best course of action in a narrowing window of time.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
