Lake County firefighter diagnosed with a brain tumor in the fight of his life

LAKE MARY, Fla. - A Lake County firefighter is in the fight of his life and looking for help. On June 19, Blake Kocielko took the day off of work because he wasn’t feeling right. Later that day, he was rushed to the hospital.

"I started getting a blurred vision. I lost some hearing," said Kocielko. "They wrote me up as a stroke alert basically on the symptoms and from there they did a CT scan and that’s where they confirmed that I had a mass."

The mass is cancerous – a diagnosis that has changed Kocielko’s life forever. The 28-year-old firefighter has been forced to put his career on hold as he responds to a different kind of emergency.

"I think that’s the worst part of it all is the unknown. The uncertainty. If it was up to me I would’ve been back out on the road on an engine the next day living my normal life," said Blake.

Lake County firefighter Blake Kocielko, 28, is battling cancer after a brain tumor was discovered in June 2022. [Credit: Kocielko family]

It had been Kocielko’s dream to work alongside his brother, Colton, who serves at the same fire department.

"It’s more impactful when you actually work with true family," said Colton Kocielko. "We’ve gotten a chance to work a couple of shifts together on an ambulance, and we had a blast."

Their extended family at the department and in the community has lent them tremendous support. Unfortunately, the financial burden of this fight is falling almost entirely on Kocielko and his family.

"We don’t know enough yet," said Colton Kocielko. "It could be years of surgery and treatments. We're hoping for the best.

The Kocielkos have started a GoFundMe page to help alleviate the burden. With it has come kind words and support that have helped keep Kocielko going on his darkest days.

"I truly appreciate everyone’s support and I appreciate just everything that everyone has done," he said. "They’ve gone beyond anything I could’ve imagined so far, and I can’t thank them enough."