09/11/2026
Sept. 11, 2001 — Nineteen al-Qaida hijackers seized four airliners. Two planes struck the World Trade Center towers, a third hit the Pentagon, and the fourth went down in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers forced their way toward the cockpit. Both towers collapsed within 102 minutes. 2,977 people were killed, including 343 New York City firefighters.
Sept. 12, 2001 – May 2002 — Rescue and recovery. Thousands of FDNY firefighters, EMS members, and retirees worked the pile for months in toxic dust. “WTC cough,” sinus disease, reflux, and asthma appeared almost immediately. FDNY opened the first dedicated monitoring clinic in October 2001.
2002–2006 — The illnesses did not fade. Lung function in exposed members stayed well below expected levels. PTSD, depression, and substance-use issues rose. Families began living with chronic illness, repeated hospital visits, and the fear that the person who came home from the pile was still dying.
July 2010 — The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act became law after years of advocacy by responders, widows, and Jon Stewart. It created the World Trade Center Health Program and the Victim Compensation Fund so treatment and family support would not depend on charity or lawsuits alone.
2011–2012 — Cancers were added as covered conditions after studies showed elevated rates among FDNY members. Non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, and blood cancers became the most common diagnoses.
2015–2025 — The death toll from 9/11-related illness kept climbing. Memorial walls at FDNY headquarters were expanded more than once. Widows fought for line-of-duty death benefits so pensions would not be cut in half. Some children of the 343 grew up and joined the department; at least 58 have become FDNY firefighters.
Sept. 2023 — FDNY illness deaths from World Trade Center conditions reached 343, matching the number killed on the day itself.
2026 (25 years later) — More than 12,000 FDNY members have been certified with at least one WTC-related condition. Roughly 4,200–4,700 have been treated for cancer; about 1,000 have had more than one cancer. Over 600 FDNY personnel (active members plus retirees who worked the site) have now died of WTC-related illness—more than the 343 lost on September 11. The federal program is funded through 2090. Monitoring and treatment continue because new cases are still appearing.
The attack did not end when the towers fell. For firefighter families it became a decades-long fight against cancer, lung disease, PTSD, and the quiet work of raising children while the person who ran toward the fire is still paying the price.
Never forget the 343.
Never forget the ones who came home and are still dying.
Never forget the families who have lived every day since.
