1. THE VICTORY: The Leg is “Dead”
The most significant win from the recent scans involves the original site of the battle. Doctors have confirmed that the cancer once active in Will’s leg is no longer active.
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Skip Lesions Defeated: Perhaps more importantly, the “skip lesions”—secondary tumors in the same bone or area that often complicate surgery—have been declared necrotic (dead).
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The Surgical Shift: This is a massive relief for the family, as it significantly lowers the complexity of any future orthopedic interventions and proves that the recent rounds of high-intensity treatment have done their job on the primary source.
THE UNCERTAINTY: The Lung Nodules
While the leg showed a retreat, the chest scans revealed a new development. Doctors identified two cancerous nodules in Will’s lungs that have actually grown in size since the last imaging. In the world of oncology, growth is usually the most frightening word a family can hear.
What does “Larger but Necrotic” mean?
However, the medical team followed that news with a critical “silver lining.” While the nodules are physically larger, they appear necrotic on the scans. In pediatric oncology, this creates a medical paradox:
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The Growth: Sometimes, as a tumor dies from chemotherapy or radiation, it can temporarily “swell” or appear larger on a scan because of inflammation and the body’s immune response to the dying tissue.
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The Necrosis: “Necrotic” means the internal cells of the nodule are dead or dying. If a tumor is larger but dead, it is no longer a “living” threat that can spread; it is essentially a shell of dead tissue that the body hasn’t cleared out yet.
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The Watchful Eye: Because the nodules grew, they cannot be ignored. The “uncertainty” lies in confirming that they are entirely dead. Doctors are currently evaluating if a biopsy is necessary or if they can continue to monitor them through “mop-up” chemotherapy.
THE NEXT STEP: Balancing the Scale
The Roberts family describes themselves as being in a state of “relief and worry.” They are celebrating the “dead” cancer in the leg while holding their breath over the “larger” nodules in the lungs.
Will’s spirit remains the family’s anchor. Despite the “intense pain” that recently forced a brief hospital admission for pain management, his team is focused on one goal: ensuring that by the time he rings the victory bell in 2026, every single nodule is as “dead” as the ones in his leg.
🚨 THE JANUARY VIGIL.
The next set of blood markers and high-resolution scans in mid-January will be the “tie-breaker” for the lung nodules.
What was the “specific phrase” the lead oncologist used to describe Will’s res
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