September 11, 2001 is a wound that all Americans deal with on a daily basis. Twelve years later, there is still a scar left–a big one. As recent as July of this year, remains of firefighters killed were found; adding to the death toll. But, as devastating as that is, many Americans that have lived through the terror of what happened have now been dealing with sicknesses related to 9/11 exposure, otherwise known as World Trade Center-related cancer.
According to Yahoo News, 1,140 people including first responders and people who lived or worked near the site have been diagnosed with cancer related to either the high carcinogen or mercury levels that were present in the toxic air following the destruction.
63-year-old Marty Cervellion, a city engineer who spent more than two months at ground zero following the attacks, developed gastroesophageal cancer in 2011. He stated in an interview [that] “It was always in the back of everyone’s mind we were in jeopardy given the contamination down there, but the entire world was calling on you. It felt so good to serve, there was no wanting to escape.”
Real-life heroes. Thankfully, there are government funded programs to assist doctors with whatever is needed for patients. The problem is finding the cancer in enough time.
First-responder photos in GALLERY
