On February 21, 2010, two days before the beginning of ladies' figure skating competition at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, her mother, Thérèse Rochette, died of a heart attack at age 55 at Vancouver General Hospital after arriving to watch her compete; Rochette chose to remain in the competition and skate in her mother's honour. At her mother's funeral, she placed her Olympic bronze medal on the casket for some time. Rochette has been a spokesperson for the "iheartmom" campaign at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, which deals with raising awareness for heart disease in women. She has also worked with World Vision.