36 names to be added to FDNY Memorial Wall for members lost to 9/11-related illnesses
Thirty-six more names will be added to the FDNY's World Trade Center Memorial Wall to honor members lost due to 9/11-related illnesses.
Nearly 25 years after the terror attacks, one of the hardest truths is that people are still dying because of them.
On 9/11, 343 firefighters lost their lives. Since then, more than 600 FDNY members have died from related illnesses.
A ceremony Wednesday afternoon at the FDNY headquarters in Brooklyn will name 36 members who died of illnesses related to their work in the rescue and recovery efforts.
The average member in the FDNY's World Trade Center Health Program is 64, with nearly 9 out of 10 retired.
For thousands who are still living with the effects, the checkups have never really stopped. Doctors are still finding new cancers, with 461 members diagnosed with new cancers in the past year, according to a new report.
FDNY Chief Medical Officer David J. Prezant said more than 4,200 members, out of the 16,000, currently have had at least one cancer.
"In fact, 26% of our members have had more than one cancer," he said.
Attorney Michael Barasch, whose law firm represents thousands enrolled in the WTC Health Program, said dozens of people contact his firm weekly with cancer diagnoses.
"Not a day goes by without my law firm losing two clients to 9/11 illnesses," he said.
Doctors are also watching for conditions that may emerge years later, including heart disease, autoimmune illnesses and cognitive problems. Those are not all currently covered as World Trade Center-related illnesses.
The encouraging news amid all of this is that there is progress. The new report found that firefighters are living longer, with 86% of patients in the health program still alive five years after a cancer diagnosis.
