He Chose Home

On June 3, 2025, my friend Derek Roberts made a decision most of us can’t imagine. He chose to turn off the machine that was breathing for him. He chose heaven. He chose Home.

That’s the thing about ALS. It doesn’t take your mind. It doesn’t rob you of your emotions, your spirit, your thoughts, or your love. It just locks you in. Your brain is sharp. Your feelings are alive. Your skin still senses. Your emotions still surge with joy, laughter, tears, longing, and love. But your body? It refuses. It rebels. It slowly betrays you.

Most of us, when we hit a wall, think: "I’ll just muscle my way through it." But ALS says, “Oh no you won’t.” You can’t muscle your way through this. You can’t push harder. You can’t get stronger. Because your muscles stop responding—even though your soul hasn’t.

Derek was fully there. Mind alert. Spirit alive. Emotions intact. He could feel everything. See everything. Know everything. But his body no longer allowed him to be in the room the way he used to.

He couldn’t move with the crowd. He couldn’t laugh out loud. He couldn’t hold his wife’s hand or hug his kids or jump up and shout at a football game. He was present, but trapped.

And if you had the eyes to see, if you looked past the silence, past the stillness, past the suffering, you would see something extraordinary.

You would see the real Derek. You would see who he truly was. Because ALS leaves you with yourself. No distractions. No ability to fake it. No noise. Just you, and God.

When someone decides to turn off the very machine that is keeping them alive, it is not a careless or confused act. It is not weakness. It is not giving up. It is a full, whole, and conscious decision. It’s made by a man who is completely aware. A man who has considered everything.

Derek thought deeply before he made this choice. He considered God, and the joy of being with Him. He considered Robin, his precious wife, and entrusted her to the same God. He considered his children, and all the future moments he would miss: graduations, weddings, memories not yet made.


He considered the home he built with love, just so he and Robin could serve others and grow old together in joy. He considered the laughter. The life. The legacy he was leaving behind.

And after weighing it all, he chose Home.

He was only 52. A beast of a man. Full of strength, character, success, and wisdom. His body had failed, but his soul had not.

So, he made the decision that only the bravest can make: to trust God fully. To stop suffering. To stop burdening others. To go where there would be no more betrayal by his body.

We may never know how Derek made that decision. He couldn’t explain it in words. But he did communicate it. Clearly. Quietly. Completely. God - Jesus - Eternity - it’s always the best decision. It’s not easy, but it’s the best.

And God, we ask You now, please help Robin and the kids. This kind of loss is like no other, because ALS is like no other. It leaves a wound that can be harder to reconcile, because the person was so fully there, and now, so completely gone. But may they find peace in this truth: Derek trusted You. He trusted his wife and children with You. He trusted that Home, eternal life with Christ, was better than anything this world could offer. He chose well. He chose You. And You are always the wise choice. Please help everyone that struggles with this void and pain. IJNIP amen ♥️