Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

‘God Has a Plan for Both of Us’: Young Mom Battling Stage IV Cancer Asks for Prayers After 4-Year-Old Son Also Diagnosed With Cancer

Photo: Facebook/Nicole Roche
Share Tweet
By Billy Hallowell
Editor

September 6, 2022

UPDATE (9/7): Wes is out of surgery and recovering!

Original Story

A Pennsylvania family is dealing with the unimaginable. Just months after Nicole Roche, a wife and mother of three young children, went public with her stage IV cancer diagnosis, her family faces yet another health emergency: Roche’s 4-year-old son, Wesley, was rushed to the ER last week where it was revealed there was a large, cancerous tumor on his kidney.

Listen to the latest episode of CBN’s Quick Start podcast 👇

Roche, who is self-employed as a photographer, disclosed the family’s struggles in a touching Facebook post Sept. 3, revealing her family’s journey as they navigate uncharted and complex waters.

In the vulnerable yet hopeful post, Roche opened up about her fears and her faith, ultimately choosing to trust God’s sovereignty in the situation and “surrender” it all to Him.

“Nothing [God] does is without purpose,” Roche wrote, while divulging Wesley’s diagnosis. “God loves our son more than I ever could with my human heart, and He has a plan for both of us, and He has designed it this way for us to walk the road together.”

She added, “I didn’t choose this, but I’m ready for it, I accept it, and I surrender to it.”

That remarkable trust comes as Roche copes with navigating her own treatments as well as the unforeseen path ahead for Wesley, who has been experiencing a great deal of pain.

She opened her Facebook post by explaining the path she has been on in the months preceding Wesley’s shocking diagnosis — a discovery that plunged the family into two intersecting crises.

“Exactly two months ago today, I made the decision to go public with my cancer diagnosis and actively share my story, no matter which direction it went,” Roche wrote. “I felt deeply that this diagnosis was a much larger part of my life story, and not something to be hidden.”

While the mother of three knew “there would be curveballs” in her own journey, she said she never expected to see one of her children simultaneously face a cancer battle. Despite lamenting “there are no words” for what the family is going through, she bravely detailed her and Wesley’s dual battles.

Roche said she took Wesley to the emergency room Sept. 1 due to severe stomach pain. Far from a routine finding, doctors discovered the little boy has a cancerous kidney tumor, and began acting quickly to treat it.

Wesley was rushed to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and underwent surgery Tuesday to remove the tumor, which had continued to cause him great pain despite pain medications. The surgery, however, won’t be the end of Wesley’s cancer journey.

“He will have to go through conventional treatment after that: six rounds of chemo and radiation,” Roche wrote. “Our family’s story will now track the healing and recovery of two of its members instead of one.”

For anyone wondering, “What are the odds?” Roche said this is a question she, too, has pondered while navigating the intense emotions stemming from Wesley’s diagnosis.

Despite the lament, fear, anxiety, and pain stemming from such a complex situation, Roche shared how she is in a “place of peace and calm” and believes her family will make it through this dire situation.

“I know Wesley is a strong boy and will recover,” she added. “But as I rest in that peace, I also am absolutely floored by the strange, surreal nature of it all. I’ve almost been feeling out of body lately, just completely awestruck that this is reality.”

Roche asked the public for prayer for Wesley, her husband Alex, and her family as a whole.

In a follow-up Facebook post Monday, Roche wrote she and her family are remaining positive and optimistic, but also explained the true difficulty of what they face. Roche, who is understandably exhausted, specifically addressed the pain and struggles Wesley experienced before his surgery.

Over the past few days, the Pennsylvania mother and wife wrote she has been stunned to see her son’s bravery and hopes to reflect on it more as she faces her own treatment qualms and fears.

“Wes is so much braver than I have been,” she admitted. “He makes me want to be strong like him and face my own treatment with more bravery. I don’t know if I’ll ever be comfortable with needles, ports, chemo, radiation … any of it. But if my baby is about to walk that road, then I will walk with him. I’ll be as brave as I can for him. He deserves that from me.”

Roche also praised those around the family who have come alongside them during this difficult time.

“Never underestimate the power of community when it comes together with purpose and love,” she added.

The community had already begun to rally, with a GoFundMe raising over $28,000.

Now, with a second member of the family embarking on a journey to defeat cancer, both the emotional and financial burden have increased exponentially.

Please pray for the Roche family, and, if you’d like more details on their needs and how you can support them financially, click here.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.*** 

Latest

  • Faith

    ‘Thank God He Was There’: Off-Duty Firefighter Says It Was the Lord Who Led Him to Save Deputy Hurt in Crash

  • News

    ‘Kind of a Miracle’: Storm Chaser Rescues Family After Tornado, Pledges to Help Rebuild Home After Terrifying Ordeal

  • News

    Amid ‘Hidden Dangers That Lurk’ in Culture, Christian Video Games Could Offer Parents a Powerful Solution

  • News

    All-American Swimmer Blasts ESPN for Promoting Transgender Athlete in ‘Celebrating Women’s History Month’

  • News

    ‘Dear Jesus, Please Help Them’: Meteorologist Credited With Saving Lives After Viral, On-Air Prayer to God as Deadly Tornado Hit


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • ‘Thank God He Was There’: Off-Duty Firefighter Says It Was the Lord Who Led Him to Save Deputy Hurt in Crash
  • ‘Kind of a Miracle’: Storm Chaser Rescues Family After Tornado, Pledges to Help Rebuild Home After Terrifying Ordeal
  • Amid ‘Hidden Dangers That Lurk’ in Culture, Christian Video Games Could Offer Parents a Powerful Solution
  • All-American Swimmer Blasts ESPN for Promoting Transgender Athlete in ‘Celebrating Women’s History Month’
  • ‘Dear Jesus, Please Help Them’: Meteorologist Credited With Saving Lives After Viral, On-Air Prayer to God as Deadly Tornado Hit

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • Culture
  • culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Roe
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?