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An Alabama boy with an extremely rare and aggressive form of bone cancer has completed his second week of experimental treatment after a heartfelt video plea secretly posted to his mother’s Facebook account went viral and captured the attention of President Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Fifteen-year-old Will Roberts recorded the video on April 22 after reaching what his family described as a breaking point in his 16-month battle with stage 4 osteosarcoma. The cancer had already spread throughout his body, eventually leading to the amputation of his leg.
In the emotional plea, Will asked for help accessing DeltaRex-G, a difficult-to-obtain experimental gene therapy that he believed could be his last chance, after conventional therapies and multiple surgeries failed to stop the cancer’s progression.
His family said Will recorded the video not only for himself, but to help ease the burden on his mother as she struggled to navigate the situation and to raise awareness for other children facing similar battles — even if the treatment could not save him.
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“Hey, this is Will and my mom doesn’t know I’m doing this,” Will said in the Facebook post. “Yall pls share this my mom might be mad but at this point I’m trying to help her in any way I can right now. I need this to reach President Donald Trump or secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior. So if anybody knows these two, please help me out and get it to them or in touch with my mom.”
After the video went viral, Will and his parents relocated to Santa Monica, California, in early May after he was granted access to the experimental treatment.
“We’ve had two doctors look well in the face and tell him that they’ve never had a survivor at his stage,” Jason Roberts, Will’s father, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “That was enough for me and Brittney to get on the ball and, you know, try to find an alternative treatment.”
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Will was first diagnosed with the rare pediatric bone cancer in January 2025 after experiencing severe leg pain that was initially dismissed as growing pains.
After his leg was amputated, doctors reportedly discovered that the cancer had aggressively spread to his bladder, leading to a massive pelvic surgery.
Two doctors eventually told them they had never seen a survivor at Will’s advanced stage, the family said.
Because traditional chemotherapy offered little hope — and with osteosarcoma therapies having remained largely unchanged for decades — the family said they became determined to explore alternative options.
They eventually discovered DeltaRex-G, an experimental tumor-targeted gene therapy that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce one batch, the family said.
According to data from Clinics in Oncology, the therapy has shown relatively mild side effects and has been fast-tracked in countries such as the Philippines.
However, such treatment has faced significant hurdles in the U.S., where it has yet to complete the FDA approval process and remains difficult to access due to limited availability and long waiting lists.
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“I don’t care if they have to remove mama from the White House steps, I’m going to make sure that our plea gets heard,” Brittney, Will’s mother, said. “At that point, we joked and said he got scared his mom was going to be toted off in a straitjacket somewhere. So he made the video.”
After Brittney joked about the lengths she would go to secure access to the drug, she said her son decided to take matters into his own hands.
Will, who had access to his mother’s Facebook account to read supportive messages from followers, secretly recorded and posted his own video plea.
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Will Roberts sits with family in clinic in Santa Monica, California (Brittney Battles Roberts/Facebook)
The video quickly gained national traction, helping raise more than $700,000 in GoFundMe donations and drawing support from several high-profile figures.
“President Trump, Dr. Oz, RFK Jr., I mean, there’s been so many people, Katie Britt, have truly helped us push this,” Jason said.
On May 11, Trump sent the Roberts family a surprising video message in which he expressed support for the family.
Dr. Mehmet Oz and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also worked to help the family gain access to DeltaRex-G, coordinating with California developers of the drug to expedite its availability under federal “Right to Try” protocols.
Since starting the treatment two weeks ago alongside a dual chemotherapy regimen, Will said he has experienced only mild side effects, including body aches.
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While Will’s viral social media plea helped the family overcome major financial and bureaucratic hurdles, his parents said the video was ultimately motivated by his desire to help other children gain access to more promising alternative therapies.
“It was nothing more than a child’s pure heart speaking out, but as I said earlier, I think the reason that it went viral is because of his selflessness in the video. And he was like, you know, it might be too late for me, but if it can help others, I want to help others,” Jason said.
“We just hope and pray that the bureaucracy and the red tape can be cut through to where a drug with true promise can reach the American people without all the stuff that gets involved.”
The Roberts family also attributed their endurance and success to their strong faith, believing God helped move mountains to get Will opportunities.
“You know, without God, I don’t think any of this would be possible. In fact, I know it would not be possible because we’ve seen mountains moved along this journey,” Jason added.