Introduction:
It has been nine years since the horrors of Sept. 11, 2001, nine years since the world celebrated the selflessness and heroism of the responders who stepped up in the face of fear and chaos and very real danger, who helped save so many innocent lives, who worked The Pile, helping to clean up the mess that was left behind by the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
advertisement
In that time, many of those responders have fallen ill—with respiratory and digestive ailments, with post-traumatic stress disorder, with untreatable, untraceable, fast-growing cancers. Many are dying, leaving behind families and unrelenting medical bills.
When Joel Cairo and I started this project, we had a plan to tell the stories of many through the voices of a few. As soon as we began, we were invited into the homes and lives of dozens of responders, all of whom were suffering. We were given phone numbers, e-mail addresses. According to John Feal, whose story is included here, Long Island made up 35 percent of the response to the attacks—and there are currently more than 7,000 people on Long Island being treated for illnesses related to 9/11 and its aftermath.
“Everybody,” says Feal, “knows somebody who either died or is sick on Long Island.”
What follows are snapshots of some of the Long Islanders whose lives have been forever distorted, altered and in some cases ruined because they responded, or because someone in their family responded. Each of the people to whom we spoke said, in some form or fashion, that he or she was one of the lucky ones, that so many people out there right now have it a lot worse.
That is surely true. There are many uglier, sadder, more heartbreaking stories than these. But each of these stories is a reflection of the systems and organizations that have written off, ignored and failed all these people—people who were trumpeted as heroes by politicians and media less than a decade ago. People who remain heroes today, regardless of where the spotlight is cast.
Most importantly, these people are not archetypes or statistics. They are individuals; they are our neighbors, our family. Neither their ills nor their joys should be considered symbolic. There may be others out there worse off, but these people are nonetheless remarkable.
Click to view a list of 9/11 remembrance events.
Tags: 9-11, 9/11, Cover Story, featured, Ground Zero, missed, responders, Sept. 11, Sept. 11 2001, September 11, September 11 2001, Twin Towers, World Trade Center
More people need to be made aware of this hardship. Hopefully someone will do a benefit for these people to help them out. Spread the word!
Not helping those who helped so many – unacceptable. This is AMERICA and they risked their lives in an effort to aid/save many, we OWE IT TO THEM to assist them in their time of need as well.
Anything else would be and is an unforgiveable shame.
The 9/11 Bill NOT being approved? Should not even be in question. New York called, they came and now….. You,we must care for them and make sure they and theirs are taken care of. Come on America take care of your people! Start with the ones that took care of us, the 1st responders who must be so disappointed in us. Please.
The 9/11 bill MUST be approved. To all those who lost their lives that day and to those who continue to die because of the devastation that die I salute you and I am proud that there are people like John Feal who will continue to fight for those who cannot fight any longer.
Michael and Joel, amazing story and footage. I’m born and raised in NYC, now a Long Islander for the past 20 years. I still commuted back & forth to NYC via the LIRR for 11 years to work. When 9/11 happened, I was working on Long Island. I called my mother who lived on 49th St. in NYC, where I was raised. She said, “don’t worry about me, I’m fine. There is an army of firemen and cops on their way to the trade center and they have declared Manhattan a no fly zone”. Then my mom heard planes overhead, thank god those planes were from the U.S. Air Force.
The heroes of 9/11 who literally ran into hell that day and the dark days thereafter gave us comfort. They didn’t run from NYC, they didn’t even run to their families, they ran to the people who needed help. They scoured and sifted through miles of ruble and body parts, until it was completely clean, accounting for anyone they could.
Who runs into hell? Who goes on piles of debris and body parts? This trait is not in all of us; it can only be found in heroes. These men, women and their families deserve our protection. It’s our turn to make sure they are taken care of. The Zadrog 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 must pass. I can only image the murderers and conspirators of 9/11, who relish in the fact that 9 years later, American Heroes, continue to die from their evil deeds and from America’s own neglect. It makes me sick, angry and disgusted. It’s taking too long to pass this bill and our heroes are dying because of it.
Excellent article!! Clearly states the case for the Zadroga Bill, and the need to pass it IMMEDIATELY. Congrats to Michael Nelson for the in-depth bios of the four representative responders. Let’s hope our pols read it, and RESPOND!!
Google “9/11 Nukes – Radiation-induced cancers”
To say that I’m angry about how our government handled 9/11 would be an understatement. They treated us all as obstacles to their ultimate agenda. Hats off to the heroes of 9/11 and their families.
Never forget.