11:51am Wednesday 7th January 2009
WESTLEY Roach, the young Ammanford dad stricken with testicular cancer, has finally lost his brave battle against the disease.
The popular 28-year-old died in Llanelli’s Ty Bryngwyn Hospice - less than three years after his cancer was first diagnosed.
Mr Roach’s parents Janet and Jeff Brown have revealed how their son’s plans to marry his long-term partner Louise Sutherland were shattered when his condition suddenly deteriorated just before Christmas.
“Wes was going to propose to Louise on Christmas Eve,” Mrs Brown told the Guardian. “Sadly, he was rushed down to Llanelli the day before.
“He’d got the ring and everything and then decided he’d pop the question on New Year’s Eve.
“Although he couldn’t quite make it, Louise is now wearing his ring with pride.”
Friends of the family had launched a series of fund-raising events in a bid to send Mr Roach for treatment in the United States.
Mrs Brown said the money would now be put into a trust fund for the couple’s six-year-old daughter Jody-May.
“He thought the world of Jody-May and absolutely idolised Louise,” she said. “Wes’ biggest regret was that he would never live to see his little girl grow up.
“Our boy fought so hard, but in the end the cancer just got the better of him. He’d lost so much weight and was in so much pain and his little body just couldn’t take any more.
“Wes’ last moments were spent listening to the music of The Beatles, his favourite group. There must have been around 30 of his friends there. He was peaceful at the end.”
Mr Roach, a talented pool player who represented his county, also leaves two brothers and two sisters.
There will be a public funeral service at Ammanford’s All Saints Church at 1pm on Friday, January 9, followed by a service at Llanelli Crematorium at 2.30pm.
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