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Community comes together after longtime Cutchogue firefighter suffers heart attack

When someone he knows is in trouble, Michael Lessard, Sr., is the first to step forward to help.

And that’s why, said his longtime friend and former Cutchogue Fire Chief Dave Fohrkolb, the community is coming together for one of their own during Lessard’s time of great need.

Lessard suffered a massive heart attack last Thursday, Fohrkolb said. “Through prayer and skilled hands he’s recovering in the ICU at Stony Brook Hospital after receiving heart surgery.”

But the road to recovery won’t be easy, so Fohrkolb has started a Go Fund Me page, “Helping Hearts for Mike Lessard”, to help Lessard pay his bills and have time heal without any burdens to bear. So far, the page has raises $3,175 of a $5,000 goal in one day.

“I have known Mike my entire life and worked with him extensively during my tenure as Chief of the Cutchogue Fire Department,” Fohrkolb said. “Mike has dedicated his life to helping others.”

2015_0305_Mike2Lessard, who began his career at Jamaica Hospital in 1991 working as a New York City EMT later returned to the North Fork. A past member of the Mattituck Fire Department, a current active member of the Cutchogue Fire Department and the Long Ireland Pipes & Drums Band, Lessard has been volunteering for his community since 1975, Fohrkolb said on the Go Fund Me page.

“You never really think of anything like this; it all happened so suddenly,” Fohrkolb said. “In the fire department, we work with this on a daily or weekly basis, people get sick and need to be taken to the hospital. People die, and it’s all a part of the job. But this happened to Mike, and it was just very overwhelming.”

To all who know and love him, Lessard is known for his huge and caring heart.

“He never left anybody hanging. We’re trying to not leave him hanging,” Fohrkolb said.

Not certain of how extensive the long-term effects of his heart attack will be, Fohrkolb said the goal is to raise funds so that when he is released from the hospital, Lessard can recover without worries about rent or other expenses.

When he first had symptoms last week, Lessard drove himself to the hospital, where he had the heart attack, Fohrkolb said.

“He may have some damage to his heart, we don’t know, but we’re just so happy to still have him. Things were very bad; he didn’t have a good chance of survival on Friday,” he said.

But his longtime friend rallied, Fohrkolb said, and he believes he knows the reason for the good news.

“It was a miracle. More than giving money, people prayed. Hundreds of people prayed — and he actually got better. He’s not out of the woods yet, but he’s doing exceptionally well.”

When he and Lessard’s son, Michael Jr. were at Stony Brook Friday, they were told that if Lessard got through the weekend, could undergo surgery; the grim reality was not easy to bear.

“The doctor said ‘If I open him up today, he’s going to die.’ That really hit home for us,” Fohrkolb said.

No matter what the outcome, Fohrkolb said he knew funds would be needed. “Mike doesn’t have a lot of money,” he said. “He’s a civic minded person. Some people are driven by recognition, or money — he’s driven to help people. If someone is sick or hurt, he’ll pul the money out of his pocket to help.”

And now, Fohrkolb said, he wanted to return the favor to his old friend. “I knew if a lot of people chipped in $5 or $10, whatever they can afford, it will help take the stress off of him for a couple of months. He doesn’t live an extravagant lifestyle, he has a tiny apartment and a busted up car, but if we can do something to take the weight off his shoulders, it will help him to heal. Hopefully, he’ll make a full recovery. Every day, he’s doing a little better.”

Lessard, Fohrkolb said, is loved equally by twentysomethings and friends in their 70s.  “Absolutely everyone gets along with him,” he said. “When it comes to helping people, he’s hard core.”

For years, Fohrkolb was in charge of one of the fire engines at the Cutchogue firehouse. “If there was a fire, no matter what, he would be with his engine, making sure water got to those guys, packing the hose at the end of the call,” he said.

If a fellow comrade was sick, Lessard would ask Fohrkolb to go to the spaghetti dinner fundraiser in a show of solidarity.

“He would reach into his pocket, to help this guy out,” he said. “And he’d ask, if someone was sick, ‘How are you doing? Hang in there.’ He’s just a thoughtful guy.”

Peconic Bay Medical Center and Stony Brook Hospital saved Lessard’s life, Fohrkolb said.

The North Fork, Fohrkolb said, is filled with friends as close as family who help each other during their darkest hours. “You ahve a sense of community here,” he said.

To donate to Lessard’s Go Fund Me page, click here.

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