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Cpl. Brian Kozera, a 16-year veteran of the Norristown Police Department, died Saturday, Aug. 13, after being hit by a vehicle while training for the Ironman World Championship, according to police and loved ones.
"Brian was a devoted husband, father, and great friend," Norristown Police Chief Derrick Wood wrote on Twitter.
"His mental toughest, endurance, and dedication he had for training was the same way he showed up for work every day," the Norristown FOP Lodge added on Facebook.
The father of three opened up about his cancer journey on a fundraising website for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
"After beating Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2015, I was determined to emerge stronger than before, and began competing as an Ironman," he wrote.
Kozera was diagnosed with cancer in April 2014 at the age of 36, after a hernia landed him in the hospital, where a surgeon found a suspicious lymph node, he explained.
He underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. It was during this time that Kozera brought a stationary bike into the hospital and started training for a marathon, the fundraiser reads.
He went on to compete in events across the country and even traveled to Austria for a triathlon in 2016.
"Competing in Kona has been a dream of mine and with the support of LLS, I now have the opportunity to reach this goal," wrote Kozera, whose next goal was to compete in the Ironman World Championship this October in Kona, Hawaii.
The page had raised nearly $75,000 as of Monday, Aug. 15.
Meanwhile, tributes poured in for Kozera on Facebook.
Memorial services have not been made public.
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