NXT BETWEEN THE ASHES AND THE OAK: Will Roberts’ Miraculous News and His Newest Battle
BETWEEN THE ASHES AND THE OAK: Will Roberts’ Miraculous News and His Newest Battle
In the quiet intensity of a pediatric oncology ward, every medical update is a landscape of its own. Families learn to navigate the terrain of a single scan like it’s a topographical map of their entire future. For the Roberts family, the latest evaluation has brought them to a place that doesn’t quite exist on any map—a place where the highest of heights and the lowest of depths meet in a single breath.
The news that has reached Will’s community this week is a complex tapestry of “miracle” and “mystery.” It is a “heavy twist” in a story that has already tested the limits of human endurance. As the scans were read and the doctors spoke, the family found themselves holding two emotions that rarely share the same space: profound relief and terrifying uncertainty.
The Victory in the Valley: Dead Shadows in the Leg
For months, the focal point of Will’s war has been his leg. It was the source of the sudden, paralyzing pain that led to his emergency admission. It was the site of “skip lesions”—active, aggressive pockets of cancer that doctors feared would complicate, or even prevent, the surgeries he so desperately needed.
But today, we celebrate a victory that feels like a divine intervention.
The latest scans have confirmed what thousands were praying for: The cancer in Will’s leg is no longer active. The “skip lesions” that once cast a shadow over his future have been confirmed as “dead.” In clinical terms, they are necrotic—non-viable tissue that no longer has the power to spread or destroy. This is more than just a “step forward”; it is a massive boulder removed from the path. It means that the grueling chemotherapy and the “America First” level of grit Will has shown are working. For a moment, the fear surrounding his upcoming surgery has eased, replaced by the quiet confidence that the ground beneath his feet (and his leg) is finally becoming solid again.
The Shadow in the Clouds: The Lung Nodules
However, in the world of oncology, joy is often tempered by reality. As the doctors moved the scan upward to Will’s chest, the news took a darker turn.
The medical team discovered two cancerous nodules in Will’s lungs. Worse, the scans showed that these nodules have grown. To hear those words is to feel the air leave the room. For a parent, “growth” is the word that triggers the deepest survival instincts. It is a reminder that the war is fought on multiple fronts and that cancer is a relentless, shifting foe. The discovery of these nodules is terrifying, bringing a new wave of uncertainty to a family that was just beginning to breathe after the leg victory.
The “Necrosis” Paradox: A Glimmer in the Dark
Yet, even within this new fear, there is an “unexpected detail” that physicians are watching closely. While the nodules have grown in size, they are also showing signs of necrosis. In medical terms, necrosis means that parts of the tumor are dying. It is a paradox: the nodule is larger, but its core is crumbling. This could mean that the treatment is working internally even as the outer shell expands, or that the cancer is outgrowing its own blood supply.
This detail is the “holding space” for the family’s hope. If the nodules are necrotizing, it suggests that the battle in the lungs may eventually mirror the victory in the leg. It is a sign that the body—and the medicine—is fighting back, even in the darkest corners of the scan.
Holding Two Truths at Once
How does a family survive a day like this? How do you celebrate “dead lesions” in one breath and mourn “growing nodules” in the next?
The Roberts family is currently living in the tension of the “Already” and the “Not Yet.” * They have the “Already” victory of the leg—a miracle they are holding onto with gratitude.
- They have the “Not Yet” struggle of the lungs—a battle they are facing with renewed prayer.
This is the reality of the long-haul fight. It is rarely a straight line to recovery; it is a zig-zag of breakthroughs and setbacks. But as Brittney Roberts and her family have shown us time and again, they do not walk this path with a spirit of defeat. They are leaning into the physicians’ expertise and their own unshakable faith, waiting for the “Why” and the “What’s Next” to be revealed.
What Happens From Here?
Will’s next phase of treatment is currently being recalibrated. The oncology team is weighing the success of the leg treatment against the growth in the lungs. Will this mean a change in his chemo cocktail? Will the surgery move forward as planned, or will the lungs become the new priority?
The uncertainty is high, but so is the resolve. Will Roberts has already proven that he can defeat “active” cancer. He has already shown that his body is a place where “dead” lesions are found. Now, he simply has to do it again.
Conclusion: A Request for Continued Strength
As Will prepares for the next chapter, he needs a community that can hold those two emotions alongside him. We ask you to celebrate the “dead skip lesions” with a shout of joy, and to meet the “growing nodules” with a whisper of fierce, protective prayer.
The storm hasn’t cleared, but the light is breaking through in pieces. Let’s keep standing with Will until every nodule and every lesion is nothing more than a memory.
