Will Pearce // Husband // Father // Adventure Seeker

The Will to Live: A Survivor’s Story

A Journey Through Darkness

Will Pearce had suffered from migraines most of his life. During his senior year of college, an MRI unexpectedly revealed a brain tumor, but instead of confronting the diagnosis, Will put the results aside. He had plans—big ones—pursuing both a Master of Theological Studies and a Juris Doctorate at Emory University.

Those plans shifted after Will spent his first year in seminary, which granted him the faith and strength to begin his battle for his own life. A biopsy at Emory University confirmed he had an astrocytoma brain tumor. Will’s doctor told him neither he nor any other surgeon could operate and gave him six to eight years to live.

Will was heartbroken, but through his faith, he placed his fears aside and built a future for himself as a successful attorney. He lived in New York, then London—where he reconnected with his future phenomenal wife—and later San Francisco. Then everything began to fall apart in 2017 when his mind and body weakened. Then, his seizures began.

On New Year’s Day 2018, Will had a grand mal seizure that shattered his shoulder and revealed significant tumor growth. He was shaken as the fear he had buried for years arose. Then, faith rose within—not to promise an escape from cancer, but to remind him he had a grander path ahead.

Dr. Mitchel Berger, one of the most respected neurosurgeons in the world, told Will without hesitation that none of his patients had died from his surgeries. Dr. Berger performed a successful surgery, but Will needed more because the March 2019 surgery and recovery were far more complicated than he expected. Will prayed for assistance, which his faith answered, but in a far different manner than Will anticipated. It offered him a painful, dark path with light at the end. And with the strength of his family and the force of his faith, Will chose to walk it.

The Powers of Recovery

Will’s path to recovery was brutal because after surgery, anger, fear, and crushing self-doubt nearly broke him. He struggled to speak, walk, and even think clearly, which almost forced him to give up on his entire life. But Elysia, his wife, and Skyler, his daughter, stood by him and told him it was time to stand and fight. At first, Will resisted but slowly began to understand their message. Then he shifted his battle—from fighting himself to fighting cancer, which worked.

“I built a process to heal my mind, body, and spirit. Through this process, I found HOPE- something I hadn’t known in years.

Before sunrise, Will would walk his dog, Chase, even though each step brought exhaustion, nausea, and frustration. Over time, Will’s body began to heal, allowing him to see far more than his walk with Chase.

In the mornings, Will would venture to the Marin Headlands and watch the city of San Francisco awaken, which granted him the strength to heal. In the evenings, he would watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean, which calmed his body from his difficult days of healing. This process made Will’s walks far more powerful than physical therapy. Will rebuilt his faith, which made his mile-long walks far more than physically healing because they became a meditation to the divine on resilience and survival.

“It was more than just physical rehab. I was forced to rebuild both my mind and my faith. Without fear, I began to look within, where I found far more than myself; I found the power of God, which I embraced to walk through my version of hell.”

What Cancer Gave and What It Took

During recovery, Will found acceptance. He realized that hating cancer meant hating a part of himself. To truly heal, he had to embrace his illness—not just as a threat to his life, but as a part of his journey.

He returned to work in January 2019 to rebuild his life and career. He rebuilt his life from the beautiful birth of William Walker Pearce, his son, but his hope for his future was short-lived. By early 2020, his tumor had grown again. He underwent a second surgery on July 21, 2021, and his recovery was far easier than he anticipated until he began taking chemotherapy, which nearly destroyed the progress he made. His body was torn apart to a point he had never known, but Will endured.

After completing chemo, Will and his family decided to return to Greenville, South Carolina. He was physically and mentally drained. But Greenville offered peace, his family, and a new beginning.

With time, Will began to rebuild. To heal his mind, he focused on words, ideas, and the calming of his internal anger. He began with short walks to heal his body, which eventually transformed into four-mile walks nearly every morning. He found his strength again, allowing him to focus on something far grander, healing his spirit. As he did so, everything began to reform, and his pains were wiped away by the powerful life he was rebuilding. Then Will found something far grander than he anticipated. He reconnected with his family once again and began cherishing every moment he spent with them. He played with his children, went on dates with Elysia, and found both joy and life once again.

Then everything fell apart.

The Destruction of Darkness

In the summer of 2024, Will began having intense seizures, many of which confused his mind and often caused him to lose consciousness. And he knew exactly why: his tumor was growing again.

In February 2025, an MRI confirmed it. This time, the news hit harder than ever because Will saw no hope. Instead, all he saw was a surgery which may grant him a life but would never allow him to calm his seizures.  Will was devastated because his entire life of healing was about to be destroyed.

Will spent days praying to God and looking for a future. Initially, he saw nothing, but then a spark within him awoke, allowing him to remember his initial commitment to walk the path of God, which showed him he was not yet finished.

Days before his surgery, he spoke with Dr. Berger and told him to remove the portion of his tumor that caused seizures, no matter how risky.

Dr. Berger performed a near-miraculous surgery, removing the tumor within one millimeter of Will’s spinal column, which few surgeons have ever done. And it worked. Within days, Will left the hospital with no fear of his future but with hope.

Will expected a slow recovery, which he assumed would take months, but he was wrong. His broken mind began to heal, which was far grander than anticipated.  He began to interact, communicate, and have coherent thoughts again. More importantly, the piece of his mind, which had been broken for years, healed in ways he had never anticipated. His body also recovered quickly as his walks grew from fractions of a mile to miles within weeks. Will felt far better than he had since 2018, which he could hardly believe. Then his spirit awoke.

The Powers of the Spirit

For the first time in years, the darkness in Will’s mind lifted completely. In a call with his neurologist just a week later, he heard something he never expected.

“You may be fine,” Dr. Clarke said. “Most of the tumor has been removed. There’s been no new growth, and what remains is far weaker than before. You no longer have to take chemotherapy or radiation. The seizures are also likely gone. We’ll monitor you for a few years, but we have to be finished after that. And if there’s no growth, we’ll stop worrying about it. You have a life ahead—go live it.”

Will cried in tears because, after so many years, he was granted life. Will had dreamed of walking Skyler down the aisle and watching Walker chase his dream of becoming an astronaut. But now, for the first time, those dreams were no longer some distant hope. They were pieces of Will’s future.

Something else happened as well. His mind, fractured by both his tumor and trauma, began to heal, allowing him to realize something far grander about his path. Healing himself was never the final piece; it was merely a step in the process. His spirit then awakened to reveal his true purpose. Will healed himself to help others walk through darkness.

For Will, being a survivor is not just about defying the odds. “It’s about walking through darkness into the power of light. This path is difficult but more rewarding than anticipated because it does far more than heal the body. It awakens the soul’s immeasurable power, which dissolves cancer’s pains into something small and irrelevant. This method of survivorship is far more than optimistic thoughts. It is about seeing the toughest times of pain and standing to fight them instead of surrendering to them.”

“Survivorship, in its truest form, means far more than survival. It means transformation, where love, faith, and perseverance do far more than prevail. They rebuild a broken life into one filled with the unbreakable sense of hope, joy, and the purpose to heal.”

“The power of love in my family grew to levels we had never known, which eliminated nearly every ounce of pain and helped us build a more beautiful life than we had ever known.”

What Others Should Know

Cancer is not an individualized fight. It impacts families, relationships, and entire communities. To those battling cancer, Will offers this: Find something to hold onto—faith, family, purpose, or anything else that gives you the strength to look into the darkness and fight. Without doing so, the darkness can consume you. But with such a walk, even the most impossible journey becomes both bearable and redeeming.

To those who’ve never faced cancer, Will encourages a simple act—listen to those who have, because acknowledging someone’s struggle and standing beside them is the most significant support you can offer.

Prognosis and Looking Ahead

Will has undergone three brain surgeries to remove tumor growth. The journey is ongoing, but his spirit remains unbroken. The road ahead is uncertain, but he continues to embrace every day with gratitude, cherishing the moments he once feared he would lose.

Words of Wisdom

One of Will’s most profound lessons is the importance of caretakers. Elysia was his rock through every stage of his battle. She managed their home, their daughter, and his recovery while enduring the emotional toll of watching him suffer. He urges anyone facing cancer to “never forget to thank those beside you. Their strength is often what keeps you going.”

Inspiration and Identity Beyond Cancer

Will draws inspiration from those who have faced insurmountable challenges and emerged stronger. His faith, family, and the simple beauty of the world around him remind him daily of the gift of life.

But he is more than a cancer survivor. He is a husband, a father, an adventurer, and a writer. His passions extend beyond his diagnosis. He finds joy in hiking, exploring new places, and embracing every moment of life.

“It was tough, but through the power of faith and the strength of my family, we walked through the darkness into the light.”

What’s Next?

The future is uncertain, but Will no longer fears it. He is eager to continue his journey, share his story, and inspire others walking their paths through darkness. Will believes in the powers of the faith of a mustard seed, which creates light from darkness. This power is reflected in a book he’s writing, which includes rebuilding faith and resilience, and a step-by-step path of transforming the mind, body, and spirit, into powerful thoughts of hope.

Will looks forward to many more sunsets with Elysia, Skyler, and Walker as life unfolds before him with the same quiet grace that has carried him through this journey.

Will Pearce’s words echo the legacy of Joe Pazdan—two brain cancer journeys, one shared strength. Find something to hold onto—faith, family, purpose… and ride with us in that spirit. Sign up for Pazdan’s Peloton! 

Story by Michael McCullough

Photo by Sliced Tomato Productions