A 29-year-old firefighter who worked for departments in Iredell and Rowan Counties died from COVID-19 last week. Now his family at home and in the fire service have a message they want the community to hear.
They spoke very candidly about taking COVID seriously. They say their hope is that their experience will save another family from having to go through the pain they have endured for the last five weeks.
“When I found out I was positive, I texted him and told him, he said it’s okay mom, don’t worry about it,” said mother Cindy Bregoli. “He said I’m going to be okay mom, don’t worry about it.”
For as long as anyone can remember, Andrew Bley was all about the fire service.
“He grew up around the fire service,” said Bley’s stepfather David Bregoli. “When he was about two weeks old he was in a firetruck just hanging round.”
The Lake Norman High School graduate was living his dream, working first in Mount Mourne, and then for the Atwell Volunteer Department in Rowan County.