Purdue Boilermakers coach, Nate Rock, had just walked back into the hospital room carrying a bag of food. He had stepped out for a minute while a doctor talked to his wife, Amy. On his return, everyone turned to look at him, and Amy was crying.
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For a man who held the position of associate director of strength and conditioning, Nate Rock’s biggest ordeal had nothing to do with football. On Nov. 16, 2023, Amy’s birthday, the Rocks found out that their 15-month-old son, Jack, had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. But today, after overcoming uncountable struggles, there is finally good news.
“Gave strength a whole new meaning,” Purdue Sports posted on X on Thursday. “Purdue football strength coach Nate Rock’s son, Jack, is officially cancer-free. #HammerDownCancer”
Back in March, Jack finally got to ring the bell at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, the tradition that marks the end of treatment. He was 3 at the time, surrounded by about 20 family members along with the nurses and doctors.
“We finished treatment in January, and we rang the bell in March,” Nate said, according to Purdue Athletics. “Today, we get checkups every few months just to check his blood and still haven’t had any signs of it coming back.”
The family drives to Indianapolis every three months for blood checks, and so far there’s no sign that the cancer is coming back. But this milestone was not reached easily.
In October 2023, Jack started acting differently. He became more agitated, struggled to sleep and wanted to stay close to his parents. His walking also regressed, and he began crawling again.
At first, the family suspected an ear infection. But antibiotics did not help, and other symptoms soon appeared. Jack became unusually tired, developed a rash on his legs and had a distended stomach.
“I just really felt like something was wrong,” Amy said. “He just wasn’t himself.”
The family took Jack to IU Health Arnett Hospital in Lafayette, Indiana. After hours of testing, he was transferred to Riley Children’s Health in Indianapolis for further evaluation.
What followed was a demanding stretch of treatment that included hospital stays, bone marrow biopsies, transfusions and other procedures. Doctors also placed a port in Jack’s chest to help with his treatment.
The family initially made the trip to Riley twice a week. With the regular drives between Lafayette and Indianapolis, they even bought a vehicle better suited to the journey.
While Jack went through treatment, Nate continued working with Purdue football. But his family’s situation changed how he approached his responsibilities and what mattered most outside the job.
“You don’t realize if you’re ready for something like that until you’re forced to be ready,” Nate said.
Nate was grateful that he could stay beside Jack during treatment, particularly after seeing that some other families could not always have a parent with their child.
“That was a big deal. A real big deal,” he said.
The support around the family also helped them manage a period filled with uncertainty. Purdue’s football community stood behind Nate as he focused on Jack’s recovery, giving the family support beyond the hospital.
This support came from people across the Purdue community. The Ross-Ade Brigade helped raise money for the family, while players and coaches reached out during Jack’s treatment. Purdue basketball player Fletcher Loyer and head coach Matt Painter were among those people.
Nate also comes from a family with ties to Purdue football. His father, Brian Rock, served as the program’s wide receivers coach from 2006 to 2010 under Joe Tiller and Danny Hope.
For the family, however, the most important part of the experience was the people who helped them through it. The medical team at Riley, along with friends and members of the Purdue community, became part of a support system that helped them keep moving forward. All of this culminated when Jack finally got to ring the bell.
“He would ring the bell, and everyone would clap for him, and he would jump up and down and dance,” his mother, Amy, said. “And then once it would stop, he would do it again.”
Jack’s recovery has allowed the family to begin focusing on everyday milestones again. Starting preschool in fall 2026 is one of those steps, while regular checkups remain part of his routine as doctors continue monitoring his health.
Jack also had a special role in Purdue’s football season. He was named a Riley Children’s Health Kid Captain for the Boilermakers’ 2026 season opener against Indiana State.
At home, Jack has his younger brother, Charlie, who will turn two in January. As the family settles into a different routine, they can look ahead to the small moments that were once overshadowed by hospital visits and treatment schedules.
“When we got to ring the bell, my wife and I looked at each other. Now it’s our turn to help,” Nate said.
For Nate and Amy, the end of treatment also carries a sense of responsibility to support others facing similar challenges. After receiving help when they needed it most, they now hope to offer that same support to other families struggling with this deadly disease.