“Carter McArthur’s Fight: How Bone Cancer and Will Roberts’ Story Connect Two Families”
The distance between Will Roberts and Carter McArthur is vast. Will, a young fighter from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Carter, a brave 12-year-old from Raleigh, North Carolina, are separated by more than 600 miles. Yet, despite the physical distance, their lives are deeply intertwined by something that has brought them together—bone cancer.
It all started with Will Roberts, whose story of perseverance and strength has touched many hearts, including Carter’s. Carter’s dad, Jesse, recalls the moment they first came across Will’s journey. “We’ve been following Will’s story, and we have come to love him,” Jesse said. “My son is the spitting image of Will.”
Jesse wasn’t just talking about the similarities in their appearance. Carter and Will shared an undeniable connection, both through their love of the outdoors and their fierce battle with cancer.
Will’s unwavering spirit in the face of adversity became an inspiration for Carter, who, like Will, found himself fighting for his life against an aggressive form of bone cancer.
Carter was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma last October, a rare and aggressive cancer that typically affects children and young adults between 10 and 20 years old. The news hit Carter’s family like a ton of bricks.
One moment, Carter was just a typical boy—loving to hunt, fish, and enjoy time with his family. The next moment, he was thrust into a world of hospitals, treatments, and the painful reality of cancer. Carter’s diagnosis was not just a blow to him but to his entire family. They were all pulled into a battle they never expected.
“Carter started three months of chemotherapy last November,” Jesse recalled. “A few weeks ago, Carter had part of his femur removed, and they put in a metal prosthetic. He’s starting to get around some, using a walker this week.”
The physical toll that cancer had taken on Carter’s body was immense. His once active life, filled with outdoor adventures and time spent fishing, was put on hold. Instead of fishing rods, Carter now clutched hospital charts and chemo schedules.
Yet, even in the face of all this pain, Carter’s spirit remained unbroken. Like Will, he held on to a half-full glass mentality. His love for the outdoors never faded, and fishing became the beacon of hope he clung to throughout his treatments.
Despite the long months of chemo, hospital visits, and surgeries, Carter’s heart remained full of hope. He continued to dream of the day when he could go back to doing what he loved. He couldn’t wait to head back to the water, to cast his line and feel the thrill of catching a fish.
“Carter loves freshwater fishing and saltwater fishing,” Jesse said. “We’re only about 90 minutes from the ocean, so we make plenty of day trips there.”
Carter’s journey, much like Will’s, was marked by setbacks. Cancer took pieces of him—physically and emotionally. Yet, it didn’t take away his love for life or his dream of someday casting his line back into the water.
And even when the pain became too much to bear, Carter held on to the inspiration he drew from Will’s journey. He followed Will’s progress, reading about his battles and victories with awe. He looked to Will not only as a survivor but as a guide, someone who had walked a path that Carter was now on, a path that he too hoped to survive.
Carter’s family had already experienced so much loss and heartbreak. Watching their son endure the pain of cancer, surgeries, and endless treatments was a reminder of just how fragile life can be.
Yet, in the midst of all the fear and pain, there was also resilience—there was also hope. And for Carter, Will’s story embodied that hope. Will had lost parts of himself in his own battle, just as Carter had. But both had endured, and both had found strength to keep moving forward. They were fighters.
In a perfect world, Carter and Will might meet someday, sharing their stories face to face. Perhaps, as Carter continues his treatment and recovery, he and Will could meet on a fishing trip. “Maybe sometime down the road, Will can take Carter out on his new bass boat or Carter can have Will up to Raleigh,” Jesse mused. It was a dream, but one that seemed possible with the power of hope and perseverance. The bond they shared through their struggles could one day turn into a friendship forged in the fire of cancer.
But for now, Carter must continue his battle, as he heads back to Duke University Hospital for another round of chemotherapy. The road ahead will be long, and the journey will be filled with hardships.
Yet, Carter has something invaluable: the unwavering belief that he can survive, just as Will has. The inspiration he receives from Will’s fight is what drives him every day to keep going, to fight, and to never give up.
“I know that Carter is inspired by Will,” Jesse said. “He reads about Will’s progress and it lifts him up.” Every word about Will, every milestone Will reaches, brings Carter closer to his own victory. And with each passing day, Carter gets stronger—not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. He is learning what it truly means to fight, to endure, and to hope.
Carter’s story is one of pain, yes, but also of strength. It’s a story of a boy who, despite everything he has faced, never gave up. It’s a story of a family that rallied behind their son, refusing to let him face this battle alone. And it’s a story of inspiration, of how one young man’s fight can light the way for another.
As Carter continues his treatment, the MeArthur family’s support, faith, and love will continue to be his strength. They will keep fighting together, taking each day as it comes, knowing that there is always hope, even in the darkest times.
And as Carter looks to Will as a symbol of what is possible, he will carry with him the belief that one day, just like Will, he too will be free of cancer. Until then, he will continue to fight, inspired by a story that has made all the difference in his journey.
Let’s continue to support Carter McArthur in his battle against bone cancer. Let’s honor his strength, his courage, and his relentless pursuit of hope. Together, we can help him, and others like him, find the strength to keep going. Let’s make sure Carter knows that he is never alone in this fight.
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