Help Nicholas Welgat Battle Stage 4 Lung Cancer

After a lifetime of serving others, Chief Nicholas Welgat and his family need our help!

We are organizing this GoFundMe account for our brother, Nicholas Welgat. Nicholas is one of the strongest, most determined, loyal, dedicated, and generous men we know. There is nothing that he wouldn’t do for someone in need. His motto for his police officer family has always been “No matter what, be nice”.

Nicholas served our country as a combat soldier and medic during Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom. He joined the Illinois National Guard Unit F202 ADA Battalion in 2002 and was deployed with the Galva unit attached to the First Cavalry Division for an 18-month tour in Iraq. He received the Army’s Commendation Medal for Valor during Combat in the Battle of Holy Week in April of 2004. He also received the Combat Action Badge.

On October 8, 2005, Nicholas married the love of his life, Shelly. Together they have built a wonderful life with their 4 children - Colson-16, Ellie-13, Jarek-10, and Maxson-8. Nicholas is a dedicated father to his children and spends most of his free time attending their sporting events and other activities. His family means the world to him.

Nicholas started with the Kewanee Police Department in 2006, where he helped start and served on the Street Crimes Unit in 2008. He joined the Black Hawk Task Force team from 2011-2014 before returning to the Street Crimes Unit until 2015. In 2020, Nicholas was appointed as Kewanee’s Police Chief, and he remains in that position currently.

Nicholas also served as an EMT on the Kewanee transport ambulance, was on the coaching staff for Kewanee High School football and basketball, and in 2014, he and Shelly started the highly successful Nolan Keane Baseball Classic tournament. This tournament donates all the proceeds to the Nolan Keane Memorial Fund, which is used to help area children and their families battling cancer, experiencing medical issues, or suffering other hardships.

Nicholas’ Story:

In May of 2023, Nicholas started experiencing some neck pain after playing racquetball. The pain persisted after trying all the usual remedies for a neck strain, so in early June, an x-ray of his cervical spine was ordered. This came back showing a potential fracture. Moving forward, x-rays led to CT scans, MRIs, bone scans, PET scans, and eventually several biopsies.

Unfortunately, Nicholas and his wife, Shelly, were devastated to find out that he has stage 4 lung cancer that has metastasized to the bones. Things have been moving very quickly, and Nicholas will start radiation for the bone lesions on July 17th and will start chemotherapy and immunotherapy on July 25th.

Nicholas and Shelly have a huge uphill battle to fight, and we are hopeful that if we can come together and support this family who has done so much to support our community, we can help them through the most painful and difficult experience of their lives.

All funds will go directly to Nicholas and Shelly’s bank account and will help offset uncovered and ongoing medical expenses, travel costs for treatments and appointments, and daily living expenses. Due to the nature of Nicholas’ treatments, it is anticipated that he will require extended time off from work. We would like to ease their financial burden and allow Shelly to take time off from her job as well in order to support her husband and spend as much time with him and their four children as possible.

We would be incredibly humbled and thankful for any help that we receive to help secure their financial stability during this rough journey.

More than anything, we need your prayers, good vibes, and positive energy.

If you would like to follow Nicholas' journey and receive updates, please visit:

caringbridge.org/visit/nicholaswelgatsfight