A Fallen Hero - Video Inside
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Bravest assigned to Ground Zero during 9/11 to be laid to rest Saturday
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/11/30/2007-11-30_bravest_assigned_to_ground_zero_during_9-1.html
BY JONATHAN LEMIRE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Friday, November 30th 2007, 4:00 AM
An FDNY Emergency Medical Service lieutenant assigned to Ground Zero on 9/11 will be laid to rest Saturday - his life taken by his devotion to helping others, his colleagues say.
Lt. Brian Ellicott arrived at the World Trade Center site the night of the attack and logged more than 100 hours working near the smoldering pile in the following two weeks, according to the Uniformed EMS Officers Union.
Ellicott, 45, died Tuesday at Staten Island University Hospital after a three-month battle with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, leaving behind a wife and two kids.
"Brian would always say, 'This is my job, this is what I have to do,'" said his former EMS partner, Edward Cosenza. "Danger never entered the equation for Brian."
"But what he did there made him sick," Cosenza said. "His body just gave out on him.... It was horrible to see."
The EMS Officers Union says Ellicott deserves to be listed as an official 9/11 victim.
To date, no first responder who became sick and died after toiling at Ground Zero has been added to the list.
"This was a true hero, and he lost his life doing his job and serving his city," said union President Thomas Eppinger. "His family deserves everything that should come to them."
An FDNY official confirmed that Ellicott arrived at Ground Zero shortly before midnight on 9/11 and was assigned to the site in the aftermath of the collapse. The official could not specify exactly how many hours Ellicott worked at Ground Zero.
Eppinger said the city has denied requests to classify Ellicott's death as in the line of duty, which would increase the benefits his family would receive.
An FDNY source said insufficient paperwork was filed for an increase in workers' compensation benefits. A decision on whether the death would be considered in the line of duty has not yet been made, the source said.
The city medical examiner conducted an autopsy to determine the cause of death, and the results are pending, a spokeswoman said. Eppinger said two tumors were found along Ellicott's spine.
Signed time sheets, provided by union officials, indicate that Ellicott worked 113 hours - including 41 hours of overtime - at the World Trade Center between Sept. 11 and Sept. 22.
Ellicott was assigned to "morgue detail" and charged with transporting bodies recovered amid the ruins to a staging area on Vesey St., Cosenza said.
Ellicott did not wear a mask or any respiratory protection during those shifts, Cosenza said.
Union officials said Ellicott logged another 100 hours at the Ground Zero site in the weeks after the attack, but did not provide paperwork to detail those hours.
Ellicott, who lived on Staten Island, joined the FDNY in 1993 and had worked at EMS Station 4 on Manhattan's lower East Side. He was later promoted and became a supervisor of EMS dispatchers.
His funeral will be held at the Holy Child Catholic Church in Eltingville, Staten Island.
Many EMTs and paramedics who worked at Ground Zero fear his fate could become their own.
"We're asking, 'Is that going to be me?'" Eppinger said. "We're worried because we know Brian was as tough as they come."
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/11/30/2007-11-30_bravest_assigned_to_ground_zero_during_9-1.html
BY JONATHAN LEMIRE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Friday, November 30th 2007, 4:00 AM
An FDNY Emergency Medical Service lieutenant assigned to Ground Zero on 9/11 will be laid to rest Saturday - his life taken by his devotion to helping others, his colleagues say.
Lt. Brian Ellicott arrived at the World Trade Center site the night of the attack and logged more than 100 hours working near the smoldering pile in the following two weeks, according to the Uniformed EMS Officers Union.
Ellicott, 45, died Tuesday at Staten Island University Hospital after a three-month battle with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, leaving behind a wife and two kids.
"Brian would always say, 'This is my job, this is what I have to do,'" said his former EMS partner, Edward Cosenza. "Danger never entered the equation for Brian."
"But what he did there made him sick," Cosenza said. "His body just gave out on him.... It was horrible to see."
The EMS Officers Union says Ellicott deserves to be listed as an official 9/11 victim.
To date, no first responder who became sick and died after toiling at Ground Zero has been added to the list.
"This was a true hero, and he lost his life doing his job and serving his city," said union President Thomas Eppinger. "His family deserves everything that should come to them."
An FDNY official confirmed that Ellicott arrived at Ground Zero shortly before midnight on 9/11 and was assigned to the site in the aftermath of the collapse. The official could not specify exactly how many hours Ellicott worked at Ground Zero.
Eppinger said the city has denied requests to classify Ellicott's death as in the line of duty, which would increase the benefits his family would receive.
An FDNY source said insufficient paperwork was filed for an increase in workers' compensation benefits. A decision on whether the death would be considered in the line of duty has not yet been made, the source said.
The city medical examiner conducted an autopsy to determine the cause of death, and the results are pending, a spokeswoman said. Eppinger said two tumors were found along Ellicott's spine.
Signed time sheets, provided by union officials, indicate that Ellicott worked 113 hours - including 41 hours of overtime - at the World Trade Center between Sept. 11 and Sept. 22.
Ellicott was assigned to "morgue detail" and charged with transporting bodies recovered amid the ruins to a staging area on Vesey St., Cosenza said.
Ellicott did not wear a mask or any respiratory protection during those shifts, Cosenza said.
Union officials said Ellicott logged another 100 hours at the Ground Zero site in the weeks after the attack, but did not provide paperwork to detail those hours.
Ellicott, who lived on Staten Island, joined the FDNY in 1993 and had worked at EMS Station 4 on Manhattan's lower East Side. He was later promoted and became a supervisor of EMS dispatchers.
His funeral will be held at the Holy Child Catholic Church in Eltingville, Staten Island.
Many EMTs and paramedics who worked at Ground Zero fear his fate could become their own.
"We're asking, 'Is that going to be me?'" Eppinger said. "We're worried because we know Brian was as tough as they come."
Devoted N.Y. 9/11 responder dies after battle with cancer
EMS lieutenant spent 100 hours on 'The Pile' killed by cancer at 45
http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-ems/articles/320277/
By Tevah Platt
Staten Island Advance
11/30/2007
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — As an EMS worker, Lt. Brian Ellicott was best at comforting his patients: "When you're better, you'll go out dancing," he used to tell them, distracting them from their pain. Lt. Ellicott, described as a big, "teddy bear" of a guy and a father of two, did that most every day.
Sept. 11, 2001, was different; there were few injuries to dress, just toil to be done in the dust.
Lt. Ellicott spent months working in "The Pile" at Ground Zero, toiling for 100 hours in the first two weeks after the terrorist attacks, according to the Uniformed EMS Officers Union.
His partner said he'd spent those hours facing the fact that "you never know when your time is going to come."
Lt. Ellicott didn't know that his own life span may have been refigured in those first 100 hours of labor.
Physicians and researchers are hesitant to draw a link between Sept. 11 and cancer, a disease that can take years or even decades to emerge after patients are exposed to carcinogens.
But whether or not Lt. Ellicott's work was tied to his death, as his family and some of his co-workers firmly believe, his 100 hours of service in the days when the environmental risk was the greatest representation of the life he led and his commitment to the city at large.
The FDNY Emergency Medical Service worker and Great Kills resident died Monday in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He was 45, and the third Staten Islander this year to die from an illness potentially tied to the recovery effort, according to Advance records.
The Brooklyn native moved to Eltingville in 1972 and graduated from Tottenville High School.
His 'Soulmate'
In 1986, he wed Deborah Thoma, a friend from childhood and his absolute "soulmate," she said. After their wedding at Borough Hall, the couple remained in Eltingville until they settled in Great Kills two years ago.
Lt. Ellicott began working as a machinist at a former Champion Envelope manufactory in New Jersey. But the death of his mother, Mary Ellicott, in 1990, prompted him to pursue a career in the medical field, his wife said.
He worked for the Dell Ambulance Co. out of Brooklyn for two years before he joined the Bravest in 1993, working first at Station 4 in Manhattan's Lower East Side and later as a supervisor of emergency medical dispatchers at the FDNY's Brooklyn headquarters.
FDNY officials confirmed that Lt. Ellicott worked at Ground Zero in 2001 out of Station 4.
He liked the thrill and excitement of the job, of not knowing what might happen from one day to the next, said his partner, Edward Cofenza, whom Lt. Ellicott trained while working at Dell.
He also loved being able to help people, and his gentle but firm manner put his patients at ease, said Mr. Cofenza. "He lived for his job and for his children."
Loved His Leisure
Lt. Ellicott was a gamer and an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy novels. He shared his love of Dungeons and Dragons with his children, especially his daughter, Rose, and he volunteered with Cub Scout Pack 6 when his son, Brandon, was a member.
His illness emerged suddenly and lasted three "short, but long" months, Mrs. Ellicott said.
Lt. Ellicott spent only 12 days at home and the rest in the hospital after he initially sought treatment for pain in his shoulder.
Doctors don't know what causes non-Hodgkins lymphoma, but exposure to certain chemicals has been identified as a risk factor.
The toxic dust-cloud that shrouded Lower Manhattan on Sept. 11 contained various dangerous substances, including dioxins, benzene and asbestos; the 14,500-some New York City firefighters and EMS workers who worked at Ground Zero had some of the greatest exposure to toxins there.
Thousands of workers have become sick after responding at the World Trade Center site; a report issued by Mount Sinai Medical Center, which operates an ongoing screening program, found that nearly 70 percent of Ground Zero workers suffered lung problems as a result of their exposure to toxins in the dust-cloud.
But the number of fatalities from illnesses tied to the recovery effort is not known, in part because it is nearly impossible to determine a causal link between exposure at Ground Zero and illnesses that arise on an individual basis.
An FDNY Report
The FDNY in September released a 64-page report, the "Six-Year Assessment on the Health Impacts of 9/11 on FDNY Rescue Workers," that contained a promissory note on the subject: "It is too soon to comment on patterns or types of cancers. We are in the process of intensive investigation and will continue to obtain information from active members and retirees before finalizing our statistical analyses. A full report will be forthcoming in the near future."
Manhattan trial lawyer David Worby has filed more than 10,000 lawsuits claiming the city failed to protect workers from toxins.
And as federal and local governments respond to pressure to pay for health treatment for first responders and others exposed to the post-9/11 toxic dust and debris, illnesses are reported in increasing numbers - including numerous cancers, police officers and firefighters say. FDNY authorities urge that rescue workers, including retirees, continue to be monitored for late-emerging diseases.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that all these healthy men who were working in their 30s are dying in their 40s now," said John Feal, head of the not-for-profit Feal Good Foundation, which advocates for 9/11 responders and their families. "In 10 years, we're going to outnumber the people who died [on Sept. 11]."
All three Sept. 11 responders who died this year on Staten Island were in their 40s; all left wives and children.
In addition to his wife of 21 years, Deborah, and his children, Rose and Brandon, Lt. Ellicott is survived by his father, William; a brother, Matthew, and a stepsister, Alice Van Pelt.
The funeral will be Saturday from the John Vincent Scalia Home for Funerals, with a mass at 10:45 a.m. in Holy Child R.C. Church, both in Eltingville. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery in Hillside, N.J.
EMS lieutenant spent 100 hours on 'The Pile' killed by cancer at 45
http://www.firerescue1.com/fire-ems/articles/320277/
By Tevah Platt
Staten Island Advance
11/30/2007
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — As an EMS worker, Lt. Brian Ellicott was best at comforting his patients: "When you're better, you'll go out dancing," he used to tell them, distracting them from their pain. Lt. Ellicott, described as a big, "teddy bear" of a guy and a father of two, did that most every day.
Sept. 11, 2001, was different; there were few injuries to dress, just toil to be done in the dust.
Lt. Ellicott spent months working in "The Pile" at Ground Zero, toiling for 100 hours in the first two weeks after the terrorist attacks, according to the Uniformed EMS Officers Union.
His partner said he'd spent those hours facing the fact that "you never know when your time is going to come."
Lt. Ellicott didn't know that his own life span may have been refigured in those first 100 hours of labor.
Physicians and researchers are hesitant to draw a link between Sept. 11 and cancer, a disease that can take years or even decades to emerge after patients are exposed to carcinogens.
But whether or not Lt. Ellicott's work was tied to his death, as his family and some of his co-workers firmly believe, his 100 hours of service in the days when the environmental risk was the greatest representation of the life he led and his commitment to the city at large.
The FDNY Emergency Medical Service worker and Great Kills resident died Monday in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He was 45, and the third Staten Islander this year to die from an illness potentially tied to the recovery effort, according to Advance records.
The Brooklyn native moved to Eltingville in 1972 and graduated from Tottenville High School.
His 'Soulmate'
In 1986, he wed Deborah Thoma, a friend from childhood and his absolute "soulmate," she said. After their wedding at Borough Hall, the couple remained in Eltingville until they settled in Great Kills two years ago.
Lt. Ellicott began working as a machinist at a former Champion Envelope manufactory in New Jersey. But the death of his mother, Mary Ellicott, in 1990, prompted him to pursue a career in the medical field, his wife said.
He worked for the Dell Ambulance Co. out of Brooklyn for two years before he joined the Bravest in 1993, working first at Station 4 in Manhattan's Lower East Side and later as a supervisor of emergency medical dispatchers at the FDNY's Brooklyn headquarters.
FDNY officials confirmed that Lt. Ellicott worked at Ground Zero in 2001 out of Station 4.
He liked the thrill and excitement of the job, of not knowing what might happen from one day to the next, said his partner, Edward Cofenza, whom Lt. Ellicott trained while working at Dell.
He also loved being able to help people, and his gentle but firm manner put his patients at ease, said Mr. Cofenza. "He lived for his job and for his children."
Loved His Leisure
Lt. Ellicott was a gamer and an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy novels. He shared his love of Dungeons and Dragons with his children, especially his daughter, Rose, and he volunteered with Cub Scout Pack 6 when his son, Brandon, was a member.
His illness emerged suddenly and lasted three "short, but long" months, Mrs. Ellicott said.
Lt. Ellicott spent only 12 days at home and the rest in the hospital after he initially sought treatment for pain in his shoulder.
Doctors don't know what causes non-Hodgkins lymphoma, but exposure to certain chemicals has been identified as a risk factor.
The toxic dust-cloud that shrouded Lower Manhattan on Sept. 11 contained various dangerous substances, including dioxins, benzene and asbestos; the 14,500-some New York City firefighters and EMS workers who worked at Ground Zero had some of the greatest exposure to toxins there.
Thousands of workers have become sick after responding at the World Trade Center site; a report issued by Mount Sinai Medical Center, which operates an ongoing screening program, found that nearly 70 percent of Ground Zero workers suffered lung problems as a result of their exposure to toxins in the dust-cloud.
But the number of fatalities from illnesses tied to the recovery effort is not known, in part because it is nearly impossible to determine a causal link between exposure at Ground Zero and illnesses that arise on an individual basis.
An FDNY Report
The FDNY in September released a 64-page report, the "Six-Year Assessment on the Health Impacts of 9/11 on FDNY Rescue Workers," that contained a promissory note on the subject: "It is too soon to comment on patterns or types of cancers. We are in the process of intensive investigation and will continue to obtain information from active members and retirees before finalizing our statistical analyses. A full report will be forthcoming in the near future."
Manhattan trial lawyer David Worby has filed more than 10,000 lawsuits claiming the city failed to protect workers from toxins.
And as federal and local governments respond to pressure to pay for health treatment for first responders and others exposed to the post-9/11 toxic dust and debris, illnesses are reported in increasing numbers - including numerous cancers, police officers and firefighters say. FDNY authorities urge that rescue workers, including retirees, continue to be monitored for late-emerging diseases.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that all these healthy men who were working in their 30s are dying in their 40s now," said John Feal, head of the not-for-profit Feal Good Foundation, which advocates for 9/11 responders and their families. "In 10 years, we're going to outnumber the people who died [on Sept. 11]."
All three Sept. 11 responders who died this year on Staten Island were in their 40s; all left wives and children.
In addition to his wife of 21 years, Deborah, and his children, Rose and Brandon, Lt. Ellicott is survived by his father, William; a brother, Matthew, and a stepsister, Alice Van Pelt.
The funeral will be Saturday from the John Vincent Scalia Home for Funerals, with a mass at 10:45 a.m. in Holy Child R.C. Church, both in Eltingville. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery in Hillside, N.J.
Cop's widow rallies for name on 9/11 list
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nywtc025485123dec02,0,3682745.story
BY ANDREW STRICKLER | [email protected]
December 2, 2007
It was the desire for recognition of James Godbee Jr.'s nearly two decades in NYPD blue, and the memory his children will carry of their father, that compelled his widow to try to have his name added to the registry of 9/11 victims, her attorney said.
"Emotionally, for her and the children, she wanted to see him recognized," attorney John Rudden said Tuesday about Michelle Haskett-Godbee, whose husband died in 2004. "It was not a dollar-and-cents thing."
But that effort was thwarted after city Medical Examiner Charles Hirsch, who reviewed Godbee's medical records at his family's request, concluded in June that his death was not a direct result of the World Trade Center attacks because he got to the site two days later.
Officer Godbee, who was 44 when he died, initially worked in Manhattan housing projects as a New York City Housing Authority police officer. After the NYPD absorbed that department in 1995, he joined the 18th Precinct in midtown and continued to work as a housing patrolman, according to the attorney.
On Sept. 13, 2001, Godbee was assigned to help direct traffic and work security on the WTC site perimeter in lower Manhattan, where he remained for hundreds of hours.
Almost immediately, Rudden said, Godbee began coughing and showing other signs of pulmonary illness. He was hospitalized with a collapsed lung in March 2004 and died later that year. His autopsy attributed his death to scarring of the lungs.
Although Godbee's family will not fight the medical examiner's decision, Rudden said, they remain convinced his name should appear with 2,750 others who lost their lives in the attack. "He worked there, he did his service and he died as a result of it," Rudden said. "There is no question about it."
Rudden said Michelle Haskett-Godbee got some comfort in the NYPD's recognition of her husband's service, and she began receiving his pension benefits earlier this year after an initial denial of line-of-duty benefits was reversed.
The money has helped Haskett-Godbee buy a home in Teaneck, N.J., where she now lives with her daughter Imani, 9, and son, Kai. "Financially, they are taken care of, but these two children have no father," Rudden said.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nywtc025485123dec02,0,3682745.story
BY ANDREW STRICKLER | [email protected]
December 2, 2007
It was the desire for recognition of James Godbee Jr.'s nearly two decades in NYPD blue, and the memory his children will carry of their father, that compelled his widow to try to have his name added to the registry of 9/11 victims, her attorney said.
"Emotionally, for her and the children, she wanted to see him recognized," attorney John Rudden said Tuesday about Michelle Haskett-Godbee, whose husband died in 2004. "It was not a dollar-and-cents thing."
But that effort was thwarted after city Medical Examiner Charles Hirsch, who reviewed Godbee's medical records at his family's request, concluded in June that his death was not a direct result of the World Trade Center attacks because he got to the site two days later.
Officer Godbee, who was 44 when he died, initially worked in Manhattan housing projects as a New York City Housing Authority police officer. After the NYPD absorbed that department in 1995, he joined the 18th Precinct in midtown and continued to work as a housing patrolman, according to the attorney.
On Sept. 13, 2001, Godbee was assigned to help direct traffic and work security on the WTC site perimeter in lower Manhattan, where he remained for hundreds of hours.
Almost immediately, Rudden said, Godbee began coughing and showing other signs of pulmonary illness. He was hospitalized with a collapsed lung in March 2004 and died later that year. His autopsy attributed his death to scarring of the lungs.
Although Godbee's family will not fight the medical examiner's decision, Rudden said, they remain convinced his name should appear with 2,750 others who lost their lives in the attack. "He worked there, he did his service and he died as a result of it," Rudden said. "There is no question about it."
Rudden said Michelle Haskett-Godbee got some comfort in the NYPD's recognition of her husband's service, and she began receiving his pension benefits earlier this year after an initial denial of line-of-duty benefits was reversed.
The money has helped Haskett-Godbee buy a home in Teaneck, N.J., where she now lives with her daughter Imani, 9, and son, Kai. "Financially, they are taken care of, but these two children have no father," Rudden said.
Demonstrators Set To Gather Outside M.E.'s Office To Protest 9/11 Related Deaths
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=76133
December 02, 2007
A protest is planned today over the classification of some 9/11 related deaths, one day after an EMS worker who took part in the recovery at the World Trade Center was laid to rest.
A group is set to protest at the medical examiner's office today arguing some deaths in the wake of the terror attacks have been misclassified.
On Saturday, a funeral service was held on Staten Island for Lieutenant Brian Ellicott. He died last Monday of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, after being diagnosed just three months before.
His union and other mourners believe Ellicott's death is a direct result of his work at the World Trade Center site. A claim for Ellicott's family to receive worker's compensation was not approved.
The FDNY says that's because it was submitted incorrectly. The department says the family is eligible to reapply in his name.
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=76133
December 02, 2007
A protest is planned today over the classification of some 9/11 related deaths, one day after an EMS worker who took part in the recovery at the World Trade Center was laid to rest.
A group is set to protest at the medical examiner's office today arguing some deaths in the wake of the terror attacks have been misclassified.
On Saturday, a funeral service was held on Staten Island for Lieutenant Brian Ellicott. He died last Monday of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, after being diagnosed just three months before.
His union and other mourners believe Ellicott's death is a direct result of his work at the World Trade Center site. A claim for Ellicott's family to receive worker's compensation was not approved.
The FDNY says that's because it was submitted incorrectly. The department says the family is eligible to reapply in his name.
CITY BEGINS MAJOR 9/11 CANCER STUDY
http://www.nypost.com/seven/1202200...ity_begins_major_9_11_cancer_study_193657.htm
By SUSAN EDELMAN
December 2, 2007 -- The city Health Department has launched a sweeping study - the first of its kind - of cancers among 9/11 responders and thousands of others who lived or worked near the World Trade Center.
"We're starting to look at all cancers now. It's a high priority," said Lorna Thorpe, the department's deputy commissioner for epidemiology.
"There's reason for concern," Thorpe said, because of known carcinogens in Ground Zero dust and smoke such as benzene, asbestos, silica, and chemicals emitted in fires.
The study aims to identify all cancers among 71,000 people in the city's WTC Health Registry, including Twin Towers survivors and nearby office workers, lower Manhattan residents, kids, school staff, and 31,000 rescue, recovery and cleanup workers.
The study is already zeroing in on blood cancers - leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkins lymphoma - which can develop in two to 10 years, sooner than most tumor cancers.
Blood cancers recently killed two 9/11 heroes. A funeral was held in Staten Island yesterday for FDNY emergency medical service Lt. Brian Ellicott, 45, a father of two who died Tuesday of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
NYPD Sgt. Michael Ryan, 41, a father of four, died of the same disease Nov. 19.
[email protected]
http://www.nypost.com/seven/1202200...ity_begins_major_9_11_cancer_study_193657.htm
By SUSAN EDELMAN
December 2, 2007 -- The city Health Department has launched a sweeping study - the first of its kind - of cancers among 9/11 responders and thousands of others who lived or worked near the World Trade Center.
"We're starting to look at all cancers now. It's a high priority," said Lorna Thorpe, the department's deputy commissioner for epidemiology.
"There's reason for concern," Thorpe said, because of known carcinogens in Ground Zero dust and smoke such as benzene, asbestos, silica, and chemicals emitted in fires.
The study aims to identify all cancers among 71,000 people in the city's WTC Health Registry, including Twin Towers survivors and nearby office workers, lower Manhattan residents, kids, school staff, and 31,000 rescue, recovery and cleanup workers.
The study is already zeroing in on blood cancers - leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkins lymphoma - which can develop in two to 10 years, sooner than most tumor cancers.
Blood cancers recently killed two 9/11 heroes. A funeral was held in Staten Island yesterday for FDNY emergency medical service Lt. Brian Ellicott, 45, a father of two who died Tuesday of non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
NYPD Sgt. Michael Ryan, 41, a father of four, died of the same disease Nov. 19.
[email protected]
Rally for 9/11 responders Sunday
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=5808683
Sunday, December 02, 2007 | 9:42 AM
NEW YORK -- -- A rally today in Manhattan aims to highlight the deaths of emergency responders who were exposed to toxic chemicals at Ground Zero.
Protesters say the New York City medical examiner should recognize that responders who died should be officially considered victims of the 9/11 attacks.
The protestors will march outside the medical examiner's office at First Avenue and 30th Street.
They are also asking the New York State health commissioner to take up the issue.
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local&id=5808683
Sunday, December 02, 2007 | 9:42 AM
NEW YORK -- -- A rally today in Manhattan aims to highlight the deaths of emergency responders who were exposed to toxic chemicals at Ground Zero.
Protesters say the New York City medical examiner should recognize that responders who died should be officially considered victims of the 9/11 attacks.
The protestors will march outside the medical examiner's office at First Avenue and 30th Street.
They are also asking the New York State health commissioner to take up the issue.
Doctor Narrows Definition of 9-11 Death
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gedchpIl6oM7F3AwCEyXaLDuYMzgD8T9KV600
By AMY WESTFELDT – 21 hours ago
NEW YORK (AP) — Police Officer James Godbee began directing traffic just outside the World Trade Center site two days after Sept. 11, 2001, working hundreds of hours before developing a cough.
He died in 2004 of sarcoidosis, a disease that studies have linked to inhalation of toxic dust that hung over the towers' ruins for months. But because he was not at the trade center when the towers collapsed, the city medical examiner has declined to add him to the official Sept. 11 victims' list.
With government officials, scientists and courts in a continuing debate over which deaths can be linked to the trade center dust, Chief Medical Examiner Charles Hirsch has so far drawn the most narrow definition as he considers requests to reclassify several respiratory deaths as homicides.
"All persons killed at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and others who died later from complications of injury or exposure directly caused by the collapse of the twin towers on that day are homicide victims," Hirsch wrote in a letter made public last week that denied a request to call the 44-year-old Godbee a homicide victim. "Mr. Godbee's manner of death will remain 'natural.'"
For Hirsch to consider ruling as a homicide the death of a person exposed to trade center dust, "they had to be there at the time of attack, up to and including when the towers came down and the dust form settled," said spokeswoman Ellen Borakove.
"This has been the standard that was decided in our office. There had to be a cutoff," she said.
The decision means Godbee will not be listed on the official Sept. 11 memorial. No money is at stake.
Some other medical examiners and experts called the distinction arbitrary. Families and attorneys of ailing or dead workers said it was wrong.
"What happened 9/11 and in the aftermath of 9/11 can by no stretch of the imagination be called natural," attorney Norman Siegel said Sunday at a news conference protesting Hirsch's decision.
Michael Baden, chief forensic pathologist for the New York State Police, said Hirsch's distinction was artificial.
"It's very arbitrary and unprecedented that someone who inhaled the dust a minute before midnight is a homicide and someone who inhaled the dust a minute after midnight is natural," he said. "If somebody dies as a result of an illegal act, then it's murder."
While Hirsch declined to add Godbee to the Sept. 11 victims' list, the officer had already received line-of-duty benefits from a police pension board.
Scientific studies that have found links to respiratory disease and work at ground zero are based on patients who were at the trade center on and after Sept. 11. A federal judge hearing a lawsuit filed by thousands who said they were made sick by ground zero dust has not put those caught in the dust cloud into a separate category.
Kenneth Feinberg, who oversaw the Sept. 11 victim compensation fund that distributed more than $1 billion to people who said they became sick at or near ground zero, limited the fund to workers who were at the trade center site within four days of Sept. 11, or residents who were there within 24 hours.
He cited a congressional statute that said the fund was to help people killed or injured on Sept. 11 or in its immediate aftermath.
"I had to decide, what is immediate aftermath?" said Feinberg. "I think the line drawing has to be done with care."
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gedchpIl6oM7F3AwCEyXaLDuYMzgD8T9KV600
By AMY WESTFELDT – 21 hours ago
NEW YORK (AP) — Police Officer James Godbee began directing traffic just outside the World Trade Center site two days after Sept. 11, 2001, working hundreds of hours before developing a cough.
He died in 2004 of sarcoidosis, a disease that studies have linked to inhalation of toxic dust that hung over the towers' ruins for months. But because he was not at the trade center when the towers collapsed, the city medical examiner has declined to add him to the official Sept. 11 victims' list.
With government officials, scientists and courts in a continuing debate over which deaths can be linked to the trade center dust, Chief Medical Examiner Charles Hirsch has so far drawn the most narrow definition as he considers requests to reclassify several respiratory deaths as homicides.
"All persons killed at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and others who died later from complications of injury or exposure directly caused by the collapse of the twin towers on that day are homicide victims," Hirsch wrote in a letter made public last week that denied a request to call the 44-year-old Godbee a homicide victim. "Mr. Godbee's manner of death will remain 'natural.'"
For Hirsch to consider ruling as a homicide the death of a person exposed to trade center dust, "they had to be there at the time of attack, up to and including when the towers came down and the dust form settled," said spokeswoman Ellen Borakove.
"This has been the standard that was decided in our office. There had to be a cutoff," she said.
The decision means Godbee will not be listed on the official Sept. 11 memorial. No money is at stake.
Some other medical examiners and experts called the distinction arbitrary. Families and attorneys of ailing or dead workers said it was wrong.
"What happened 9/11 and in the aftermath of 9/11 can by no stretch of the imagination be called natural," attorney Norman Siegel said Sunday at a news conference protesting Hirsch's decision.
Michael Baden, chief forensic pathologist for the New York State Police, said Hirsch's distinction was artificial.
"It's very arbitrary and unprecedented that someone who inhaled the dust a minute before midnight is a homicide and someone who inhaled the dust a minute after midnight is natural," he said. "If somebody dies as a result of an illegal act, then it's murder."
While Hirsch declined to add Godbee to the Sept. 11 victims' list, the officer had already received line-of-duty benefits from a police pension board.
Scientific studies that have found links to respiratory disease and work at ground zero are based on patients who were at the trade center on and after Sept. 11. A federal judge hearing a lawsuit filed by thousands who said they were made sick by ground zero dust has not put those caught in the dust cloud into a separate category.
Kenneth Feinberg, who oversaw the Sept. 11 victim compensation fund that distributed more than $1 billion to people who said they became sick at or near ground zero, limited the fund to workers who were at the trade center site within four days of Sept. 11, or residents who were there within 24 hours.
He cited a congressional statute that said the fund was to help people killed or injured on Sept. 11 or in its immediate aftermath.
"I had to decide, what is immediate aftermath?" said Feinberg. "I think the line drawing has to be done with care."
9/11 Responders Protest ME's Stand on Ground Zero Deaths
http://gothamist.com/2007/12/03/911_responders.php
12/3/2007
2007_12_gzair.jpgFirst responders gathered in front of the NYC Medical Examiner's office to protest how the ME has classified deaths seemingly related to Ground Zero illnesses. State Senator Eric Adams said he would introduce legislation making sure first responders who worked at Ground Zero will "get the same line-of-duty benefits" as September 11 victims.
Recently, the ME's office has not named two rescuers, who worked at the World Trade Center site after September 11 and later died from complications of illnesses (seemingly caused by the toxic dust), as victims of the September 11 attacks. In fact, a letter ME Dr. Charles Hirsch sent to one of the families narrowed the definition of a 9/11 death: "All persons killed at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and others who died later from complications of injury or exposure directly caused by the collapse of the twin towers on that day are homicide victims."
Adams said, "We still hear the voices and pain of those that did not die on 9/11, but died after and will die in the future. My bill would allow the medical examiner to list those who worked on Ground Zero on 9/12 and after as victims of 9/11." Lawyer Norman Siegel of the ACLU added the responders are "American heroes...we must do everything we can help them and their families."
And the wife of one NYPD detective who is suffering the aftereffects of working 400 hours at Ground Zero said, "People who are ill are vilified rather than granted mercy."
http://gothamist.com/2007/12/03/911_responders.php
12/3/2007
2007_12_gzair.jpgFirst responders gathered in front of the NYC Medical Examiner's office to protest how the ME has classified deaths seemingly related to Ground Zero illnesses. State Senator Eric Adams said he would introduce legislation making sure first responders who worked at Ground Zero will "get the same line-of-duty benefits" as September 11 victims.
Recently, the ME's office has not named two rescuers, who worked at the World Trade Center site after September 11 and later died from complications of illnesses (seemingly caused by the toxic dust), as victims of the September 11 attacks. In fact, a letter ME Dr. Charles Hirsch sent to one of the families narrowed the definition of a 9/11 death: "All persons killed at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and others who died later from complications of injury or exposure directly caused by the collapse of the twin towers on that day are homicide victims."
Adams said, "We still hear the voices and pain of those that did not die on 9/11, but died after and will die in the future. My bill would allow the medical examiner to list those who worked on Ground Zero on 9/12 and after as victims of 9/11." Lawyer Norman Siegel of the ACLU added the responders are "American heroes...we must do everything we can help them and their families."
And the wife of one NYPD detective who is suffering the aftereffects of working 400 hours at Ground Zero said, "People who are ill are vilified rather than granted mercy."
Protests continue over classification of 9/11 deaths
http://action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=7440886
Associated Press - December 3, 2007 2:43 AM ET
NEW YORK (AP) - Just who should be considered a victim of the World Trade Center attacks? The answer to that question is generating no small controversy.
Some Ground Zero workers who took ill because they worked in the aftermath of the attacks say they should be considered attack victims, just as those who died when the planes hit and the towers collapsed.
A protest in New York City over the weekend stressed that point. Families of workers took issue with a decision by New York's chief mMedical examiner to narrow the definition of who is considered a 9/11 victim.
An attorney for families of workers affected by the dust and debris says the deaths of those workers can "by no stretch of the imagination" be called natural.
http://action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=7440886
Associated Press - December 3, 2007 2:43 AM ET
NEW YORK (AP) - Just who should be considered a victim of the World Trade Center attacks? The answer to that question is generating no small controversy.
Some Ground Zero workers who took ill because they worked in the aftermath of the attacks say they should be considered attack victims, just as those who died when the planes hit and the towers collapsed.
A protest in New York City over the weekend stressed that point. Families of workers took issue with a decision by New York's chief mMedical examiner to narrow the definition of who is considered a 9/11 victim.
An attorney for families of workers affected by the dust and debris says the deaths of those workers can "by no stretch of the imagination" be called natural.
Pols Push Bill To Clarify Classification Of 9/11-Related Deaths
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=6&aid=76145
December 03, 2007
Lawmakers joined World Trade Center site recovery workers and victims families for a protest outside of the city medical examiner's office Sunday to announce that they will push for legislation that would clarify the city's position regarding the deaths of September 11th first responders. NY1’s Lindley Pless filed the following report.
"Shame on them. Shame on them,” said Norman Siegel, an attorney who was among those protesting outside the city medical examiner’s office Sunday.
Siegel’s outrage was re-ignited last week when the medical examiner refused to review the death of a city police officer who worked at the World Trade Center site because his efforts began on September 13th, less than 48 hours after the towers came down.
Those of us who are here today – and you will hear from various speakers, object to the medical examiner's analysis – his reasoning, and conclusion, which we submit is arbitrary, illogical, inhumane, and not consistent with the principles and values of New York City,” said Seigel, who, along with a handful of local politicians and family members affected by 9/11, gathered outside the M.E.’s office Sunday afternoon.
In June, Dr. Charles Hirsch sent a letter to the family of 44-year-old Officer James Godbee saying his cause of death would remain classified "natural."
Godbee worked hundreds of hours at the WTC site. He died of a heart attack in 2004 due to an inflammatory disease that causes scarring of the lungs and other organs.
Some lawmakers feel the M.E.'s office may be labeling deaths similar to Godbee's incorrectly because of a logistical issue. They're proposing a bill that will allow the cause of death for first responders to be redefined so their families will receive the medical and financial help they deserve from the city.
"The M.E. must change his decision,” said Brooklyn State Senator Eric Adams. “My bill will be introduced next week, and I am asking all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle – if the law is in the way, my bill will remove the impediment and allow the medical examiner to indicate clearly how these heroes died."
For family members like Jimmy Richards, a firefighter who lost his son on 9/11 and who is also experiencing respiratory problems from working at the site after the attacks, the message is clear.
We went down there and all we heard was, ‘Never forget. America is never going to forget 9/11.’ Well, they've got a short memory,” he says.
The medical examiner's office declined to comment on Sunday's protest.
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=6&aid=76145
December 03, 2007
Lawmakers joined World Trade Center site recovery workers and victims families for a protest outside of the city medical examiner's office Sunday to announce that they will push for legislation that would clarify the city's position regarding the deaths of September 11th first responders. NY1’s Lindley Pless filed the following report.
"Shame on them. Shame on them,” said Norman Siegel, an attorney who was among those protesting outside the city medical examiner’s office Sunday.
Siegel’s outrage was re-ignited last week when the medical examiner refused to review the death of a city police officer who worked at the World Trade Center site because his efforts began on September 13th, less than 48 hours after the towers came down.
Those of us who are here today – and you will hear from various speakers, object to the medical examiner's analysis – his reasoning, and conclusion, which we submit is arbitrary, illogical, inhumane, and not consistent with the principles and values of New York City,” said Seigel, who, along with a handful of local politicians and family members affected by 9/11, gathered outside the M.E.’s office Sunday afternoon.
In June, Dr. Charles Hirsch sent a letter to the family of 44-year-old Officer James Godbee saying his cause of death would remain classified "natural."
Godbee worked hundreds of hours at the WTC site. He died of a heart attack in 2004 due to an inflammatory disease that causes scarring of the lungs and other organs.
Some lawmakers feel the M.E.'s office may be labeling deaths similar to Godbee's incorrectly because of a logistical issue. They're proposing a bill that will allow the cause of death for first responders to be redefined so their families will receive the medical and financial help they deserve from the city.
"The M.E. must change his decision,” said Brooklyn State Senator Eric Adams. “My bill will be introduced next week, and I am asking all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle – if the law is in the way, my bill will remove the impediment and allow the medical examiner to indicate clearly how these heroes died."
For family members like Jimmy Richards, a firefighter who lost his son on 9/11 and who is also experiencing respiratory problems from working at the site after the attacks, the message is clear.
We went down there and all we heard was, ‘Never forget. America is never going to forget 9/11.’ Well, they've got a short memory,” he says.
The medical examiner's office declined to comment on Sunday's protest.
Legislation requiring details of 9/11 rescue worker deaths to be introduced
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/12/03/2007-12-03_legislation_requiring_details_of_911_res.html
BY TAMER EL-GHOBASHY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Monday, December 3rd 2007, 4:00 AM
A state lawmaker will introduce legislation this week that will require the city medical examiner to provide a detailed description of the causes of death of rescuers who worked at Ground Zero after 9/11.
State Sen. Eric Adams hopes the new law will compel the medical examiner to link the deadly illnesses suffered by first responders to breathing in World Trade Center dust, clearing the path for them to be listed as official victims of 9/11.
The move comes a week after the Daily News demanded that Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Charles Hirsch examine the deaths of cops, firefighters and paramedics who arrived at the disaster site in the days after the terror attacks.
"We still hear the voices and pain of those that did not die on 9/11, but died after and will die in the future," said Adams (D-Brooklyn) at a rally yesterday in front of the city medical examiner's office.
"My bill would allow the medical examiner to list those who worked on Ground Zero on 9/12 and after as victims of 9/11."
In his review of the death of Police Officer James Godbee, who began working at the Trade Center site on Sept. 13, 2001, Hirsch concluded that the cop died of sarcoidosis, a lung-scarring disease.
An attorney for Godbee's wife, Michelle Haskett-Godbee, asked Hirsch to rule the cop's death an accident or homicide due to 9/11 and add his name to the official roster.
Hirsch refused, writing in a letter that only people who died on Sept. 11, 2001, could be considered victims of the attacks.
Critics charge that the medical examiner's opinion diminishes the sacrifices and lives of those who have fallen ill and died years after 9/11 from diseases related to working at the site - and deprives them of benefits afforded to civil servants who died that day.
"People who are ill are vilified rather than granted mercy," said a tearful Donna Michaels, whose husband, NYPD Detective Thomas Michaels is on terminal leave, suffering from breathing and brain disfunction after she said he logged more than 400 hours of work at Ground Zero.
"'This is murder in broad daylight,'" she said, quoting her ailing husband.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/12/03/2007-12-03_legislation_requiring_details_of_911_res.html
BY TAMER EL-GHOBASHY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Monday, December 3rd 2007, 4:00 AM
A state lawmaker will introduce legislation this week that will require the city medical examiner to provide a detailed description of the causes of death of rescuers who worked at Ground Zero after 9/11.
State Sen. Eric Adams hopes the new law will compel the medical examiner to link the deadly illnesses suffered by first responders to breathing in World Trade Center dust, clearing the path for them to be listed as official victims of 9/11.
The move comes a week after the Daily News demanded that Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Charles Hirsch examine the deaths of cops, firefighters and paramedics who arrived at the disaster site in the days after the terror attacks.
"We still hear the voices and pain of those that did not die on 9/11, but died after and will die in the future," said Adams (D-Brooklyn) at a rally yesterday in front of the city medical examiner's office.
"My bill would allow the medical examiner to list those who worked on Ground Zero on 9/12 and after as victims of 9/11."
In his review of the death of Police Officer James Godbee, who began working at the Trade Center site on Sept. 13, 2001, Hirsch concluded that the cop died of sarcoidosis, a lung-scarring disease.
An attorney for Godbee's wife, Michelle Haskett-Godbee, asked Hirsch to rule the cop's death an accident or homicide due to 9/11 and add his name to the official roster.
Hirsch refused, writing in a letter that only people who died on Sept. 11, 2001, could be considered victims of the attacks.
Critics charge that the medical examiner's opinion diminishes the sacrifices and lives of those who have fallen ill and died years after 9/11 from diseases related to working at the site - and deprives them of benefits afforded to civil servants who died that day.
"People who are ill are vilified rather than granted mercy," said a tearful Donna Michaels, whose husband, NYPD Detective Thomas Michaels is on terminal leave, suffering from breathing and brain disfunction after she said he logged more than 400 hours of work at Ground Zero.
"'This is murder in broad daylight,'" she said, quoting her ailing husband.
Feds target overseer of $1B 9/11 insurance fund fighting claims
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/12/04/2007-12-04_feds_target_overseer_of_1b_911_insurance.html
BY LEO STANDORA
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, December 4th 2007, 4:00 AM
WASHINGTON - Federal officials want to know why the overseer of a $1 billion Sept. 11 insurance fund created to cover claims of sick Ground Zero workers is fighting every case rather than giving money to those who clearly deserve it.
They said Monday they'll investigate the World Trade Center Captive Insurance Co., which has taken roughly 8,000 claims into the federal courts
Homeland Security Department inspector general Richard Skinner said his probe will determine why the company "has chosen to litigate all claims instead of settling whenever possible."
Documents sent to Congress and due to be released later this week say the review also will determine "what procedures have been established to receive, review and pay medical, hospital, surgical and disability benefits to injured persons," as well as benefits to the relatives of those killed.
The insurance company has also been challenged by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the chairman of and ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The controversy has put lawyers for New York City on the defensive, because the city and some construction contractors are protected by the program.
City Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo has defended the company as "an insurance company, not a compensation fund," and argued that as such, it is obliged to defend legal claims.
Meanwhile, Mayor Bloomberg is urging Congress to redirect the insurance company money to create a new compensation fund for workers sickened by dust, fumes and debris at Ground Zero and give the city and the contractors immunity from such lawsuits.
A spokeswoman for the city's Law Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
The company issued a statement saying it was cooperating with the inquiry and welcomes the review.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/12/04/2007-12-04_feds_target_overseer_of_1b_911_insurance.html
BY LEO STANDORA
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, December 4th 2007, 4:00 AM
WASHINGTON - Federal officials want to know why the overseer of a $1 billion Sept. 11 insurance fund created to cover claims of sick Ground Zero workers is fighting every case rather than giving money to those who clearly deserve it.
They said Monday they'll investigate the World Trade Center Captive Insurance Co., which has taken roughly 8,000 claims into the federal courts
Homeland Security Department inspector general Richard Skinner said his probe will determine why the company "has chosen to litigate all claims instead of settling whenever possible."
Documents sent to Congress and due to be released later this week say the review also will determine "what procedures have been established to receive, review and pay medical, hospital, surgical and disability benefits to injured persons," as well as benefits to the relatives of those killed.
The insurance company has also been challenged by Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the chairman of and ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The controversy has put lawyers for New York City on the defensive, because the city and some construction contractors are protected by the program.
City Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo has defended the company as "an insurance company, not a compensation fund," and argued that as such, it is obliged to defend legal claims.
Meanwhile, Mayor Bloomberg is urging Congress to redirect the insurance company money to create a new compensation fund for workers sickened by dust, fumes and debris at Ground Zero and give the city and the contractors immunity from such lawsuits.
A spokeswoman for the city's Law Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
The company issued a statement saying it was cooperating with the inquiry and welcomes the review.
9/11 toxins tied to NYPD sergeant Michael Ryan's death
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local...911_toxins_tied_to_nypd_sergeant_michael.html
BY ALISON GENDAR
DAILY NEWS POLICE BUREAU CHIEF
Thursday, December 6th 2007, 4:00 AM
Two doctors who treated an NYPD sergeant said the fatal cancers that riddled his body were likely caused by his exposure to toxins at the Fresh Kills landfill.
Sgt. Michael Ryan, 41, died Nov. 5 from three different forms of aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - the kinds of blood cancers that independent doctors monitoring Sept. 11 responders warned could be the "third wave" of sickness caused by exposure at Ground Zero and the landfill.
The 20-year NYPD veteran and father of four had thought nothing of working 80-plus-hour weeks at the landfill in the aftermath of the Sept.11 attacks.
He was diagnosed with his first cancer in May 2006. His doctors at North Shore Long Island Jewish and the University Hospital said they believed the prolonged exposure to volatile organic compounds cataloged at Ground Zero caused the cancer.
A medical panel will rule on whether Ryan's death was 9/11-related.
Though in intense pain, Ryan continued to follow his football passion of football by agreeing to help coach 9-year-olds in the Hauppauge Youth Organization when no other coach was available.
He is survived by his wife, Eileen, a retired NYPD officer, and their four children - William, 12; Erin, 10; Casey, 6, and Aidan, 4.
Donations can be made to the Michael Ryan Children's College Fund, PO Box 5041, Hauppauge, NY, 11788.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local...911_toxins_tied_to_nypd_sergeant_michael.html
BY ALISON GENDAR
DAILY NEWS POLICE BUREAU CHIEF
Thursday, December 6th 2007, 4:00 AM
Two doctors who treated an NYPD sergeant said the fatal cancers that riddled his body were likely caused by his exposure to toxins at the Fresh Kills landfill.
Sgt. Michael Ryan, 41, died Nov. 5 from three different forms of aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - the kinds of blood cancers that independent doctors monitoring Sept. 11 responders warned could be the "third wave" of sickness caused by exposure at Ground Zero and the landfill.
The 20-year NYPD veteran and father of four had thought nothing of working 80-plus-hour weeks at the landfill in the aftermath of the Sept.11 attacks.
He was diagnosed with his first cancer in May 2006. His doctors at North Shore Long Island Jewish and the University Hospital said they believed the prolonged exposure to volatile organic compounds cataloged at Ground Zero caused the cancer.
A medical panel will rule on whether Ryan's death was 9/11-related.
Though in intense pain, Ryan continued to follow his football passion of football by agreeing to help coach 9-year-olds in the Hauppauge Youth Organization when no other coach was available.
He is survived by his wife, Eileen, a retired NYPD officer, and their four children - William, 12; Erin, 10; Casey, 6, and Aidan, 4.
Donations can be made to the Michael Ryan Children's College Fund, PO Box 5041, Hauppauge, NY, 11788.
Millstone businessman supports 9/11 workers
Peter Grandich urges community to help sick, dying responders
http://examiner.gmnews.com/news/2007/1206/Front_Page/018.html
12/6/2007
MILLSTONE - Around the holidays, it's not unusual for people to get the urge to give to a worthy cause.
When Millstone's Peter Grandich took a few moments this holiday season to reflect on all he has been blessed with, he, too, felt the desire to help others who are less fortunate.
During his search to find a cause he could dedicate himself to, Grandich came across a group of people who gave of themselves to help others only to face sickness and death as a result - the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center first responders. Grandich learned of their plight from the Long Island-based FealGood Foundation, and immediately wanted to help.
"It's an American tragedy that has gripped my heart," Grandich said. "Of the 40,000 people who responded to Ground Zero after the attacks, 70 percent, or 33,000, are sick or dying as a result of their service."
He continued, "We are talking about thousands of EMTs [Emergency Medical Technicians], EMS [Emergency Medical Service] workers, police, fire, military, construction workers and volunteers from all over the country who now suffer from breathing and lung ailments, post-traumatic stress disorder, organ failure and other horrific physical and mental illnesses."
Grandich pointed out that many of these first responders can no longer work, cannot pay medical bills, and are at risk of losing everything at a time when their primary concern should be staying alive.
John Feal, founder of the FealGood Foundation, said, "These people risked their lives without prejudice. There is no money in the world that is going to save their lives, but we can give them a little compassion and respect. We give them a safety and support system and give them hope."
Feal is a 9/11 first responder. He is one of the many injured at what he calls "The Pile." Feal has had to have his foot amputated and underwent months and months of therapy to recover from the ordeal. Like many 9/11 responders, he also suffers from breathing ailments as a result of his work at the site and can no longer work. Yet, in 2005, he started the FealGood Foundation to help those who are so much worse off than he is.
Although he may no longer be able to work a job, Feal has made it his daily duty to help other survivors and advocate on their behalf. He even donated a kidney to another first responder - a man he had never met - whose kidneys failed because of his 9/11 service.
"In 2001, on Sept. 11, everybody was patriotic and everybody wanted to help," Feal said. "You don't need a plane to hit a building to be compassionate."
Grandich, the founder of Trinity Financial, Sports and Entertainment Management in Wall Township, has committed to putting his efforts and resources behind Feal's group.
"As an American and a native New Yorker, I'm extremely upset that the true heroes of America's greatest single tragedy are being totally discarded and left to literally die," Grandich said. "And, despite this truly appalling occurrence, not one of them has been known to say if they had to do it all over again, they wouldn't. That's beyond any call of duty and deserving of every American's immediate attention and help."
Grandich has made a donation to the organization and has also spent the past several weeks recruiting friends and business associates to join him, including several bigname athletes who are on his company's advisory board.
"Trinity Financial has two separate divisions - one that assists the average American and one to serve the unique needs of professional athletes," he said. "So, we have been blessed to have many athletes associated with the firm, and each of those men is happy to help the FealGood Foundation in whatever ways they can."
Joe Klecko, a former New York Jet, fourtime member of the "New York Sack Exchange," and only defensive National Football League player to go to the Pro Bowl in three different positions, said that people usually look up to football players and call them heroes.
"We're not heroes," he said. "The real heroes are the men and women who spent months sifting through the rubble to find survivors and victims. The real heroes are the police and fire and military who put their lives on the line for our safety every day. We owe them a debt of gratitude and I am happy to lend my name to the effort."
Another member of Grandich's advisory board who has pledged to support FealGood is two-time Super Bowl winning New York Giant Lee Rouson.
"Helping others was a major focus from day one at Trinity Financial," said Rouson, who co-founded the company with Grandich.
He continued, "The Bible tells us in John 15:13-14 'Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.' The 9/11 responders have done so and are deserving of our government and its people to help them now for helping us in our time of need."
Grandich said he hopes stirring up support for Feal's nonprofit will convince more people to step forward for the 9/11 responders with donations of money, Christmas toys, pro bono services, and organ donations.
"They helped America without even questioning if it was in their best interest," Grandich said. "Now it's time for America to help them."
Those who would like to help the Feal- Good Foundation can send donations to FealGood Foundation, 144 Shenandoah Blvd., Nesconset, NY 11767.
To learn more about the organization, visit www.FealGoodFoundation.com.
For more information, contact Peter Grandich at (732) 642-3992 or e-mail him through his Web site at www.TrinityFSEM. com.
Peter Grandich urges community to help sick, dying responders
http://examiner.gmnews.com/news/2007/1206/Front_Page/018.html
12/6/2007
MILLSTONE - Around the holidays, it's not unusual for people to get the urge to give to a worthy cause.
When Millstone's Peter Grandich took a few moments this holiday season to reflect on all he has been blessed with, he, too, felt the desire to help others who are less fortunate.
During his search to find a cause he could dedicate himself to, Grandich came across a group of people who gave of themselves to help others only to face sickness and death as a result - the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center first responders. Grandich learned of their plight from the Long Island-based FealGood Foundation, and immediately wanted to help.
"It's an American tragedy that has gripped my heart," Grandich said. "Of the 40,000 people who responded to Ground Zero after the attacks, 70 percent, or 33,000, are sick or dying as a result of their service."
He continued, "We are talking about thousands of EMTs [Emergency Medical Technicians], EMS [Emergency Medical Service] workers, police, fire, military, construction workers and volunteers from all over the country who now suffer from breathing and lung ailments, post-traumatic stress disorder, organ failure and other horrific physical and mental illnesses."
Grandich pointed out that many of these first responders can no longer work, cannot pay medical bills, and are at risk of losing everything at a time when their primary concern should be staying alive.
John Feal, founder of the FealGood Foundation, said, "These people risked their lives without prejudice. There is no money in the world that is going to save their lives, but we can give them a little compassion and respect. We give them a safety and support system and give them hope."
Feal is a 9/11 first responder. He is one of the many injured at what he calls "The Pile." Feal has had to have his foot amputated and underwent months and months of therapy to recover from the ordeal. Like many 9/11 responders, he also suffers from breathing ailments as a result of his work at the site and can no longer work. Yet, in 2005, he started the FealGood Foundation to help those who are so much worse off than he is.
Although he may no longer be able to work a job, Feal has made it his daily duty to help other survivors and advocate on their behalf. He even donated a kidney to another first responder - a man he had never met - whose kidneys failed because of his 9/11 service.
"In 2001, on Sept. 11, everybody was patriotic and everybody wanted to help," Feal said. "You don't need a plane to hit a building to be compassionate."
Grandich, the founder of Trinity Financial, Sports and Entertainment Management in Wall Township, has committed to putting his efforts and resources behind Feal's group.
"As an American and a native New Yorker, I'm extremely upset that the true heroes of America's greatest single tragedy are being totally discarded and left to literally die," Grandich said. "And, despite this truly appalling occurrence, not one of them has been known to say if they had to do it all over again, they wouldn't. That's beyond any call of duty and deserving of every American's immediate attention and help."
Grandich has made a donation to the organization and has also spent the past several weeks recruiting friends and business associates to join him, including several bigname athletes who are on his company's advisory board.
"Trinity Financial has two separate divisions - one that assists the average American and one to serve the unique needs of professional athletes," he said. "So, we have been blessed to have many athletes associated with the firm, and each of those men is happy to help the FealGood Foundation in whatever ways they can."
Joe Klecko, a former New York Jet, fourtime member of the "New York Sack Exchange," and only defensive National Football League player to go to the Pro Bowl in three different positions, said that people usually look up to football players and call them heroes.
"We're not heroes," he said. "The real heroes are the men and women who spent months sifting through the rubble to find survivors and victims. The real heroes are the police and fire and military who put their lives on the line for our safety every day. We owe them a debt of gratitude and I am happy to lend my name to the effort."
Another member of Grandich's advisory board who has pledged to support FealGood is two-time Super Bowl winning New York Giant Lee Rouson.
"Helping others was a major focus from day one at Trinity Financial," said Rouson, who co-founded the company with Grandich.
He continued, "The Bible tells us in John 15:13-14 'Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.' The 9/11 responders have done so and are deserving of our government and its people to help them now for helping us in our time of need."
Grandich said he hopes stirring up support for Feal's nonprofit will convince more people to step forward for the 9/11 responders with donations of money, Christmas toys, pro bono services, and organ donations.
"They helped America without even questioning if it was in their best interest," Grandich said. "Now it's time for America to help them."
Those who would like to help the Feal- Good Foundation can send donations to FealGood Foundation, 144 Shenandoah Blvd., Nesconset, NY 11767.
To learn more about the organization, visit www.FealGoodFoundation.com.
For more information, contact Peter Grandich at (732) 642-3992 or e-mail him through his Web site at www.TrinityFSEM. com.
Businessman set to walk length of Cape Cod for 9/11 charity fund
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1049808
By Eva Wolchover
Monday, December 10, 2007 - Updated 1h ago
Snowstorms and icy blasts won’t keep one big-hearted businessman from completing his “Winter Walk for Charity.”
On Dec. 18 and 19, Jeffrey Liskov, 37, of Plymouth, a vice president at Fidelity Investments, will walk 100 miles, from Provincetown to Plymouth Rock, in hopes of raising at least $2,500 for the Feal Good Foundation - a nonprofit charity founded in 2005 to aid sick or injured 9/11 rescue workers.
“I’m doing the charity walk to raise awareness of a situation that is happening to 9/11 first-responders,” Liskov said.
The foundation “sends out checks to them to help put food on the table, to pay rent if need be, and pays medical bills,” he said.
This year the organization has made 91 donations to 9/11 rescuers.
He may be joined by the Feal Good Foundation founder. John Feal, 41, of New York, was the supervisor of a demolition company when he responded to Ground Zero on Sept. 12, 2001. He was hospitalized for 11 weeks after a beam weighing several tons fell on his feet.
Realizing that thousands like him also suffer from illnesses and injuries as a result of their 9/11 rescue work, Feal founded his organization to help supplement governement aid to the nearly 40,000 rescue workers.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view.bg?articleid=1049808
By Eva Wolchover
Monday, December 10, 2007 - Updated 1h ago
Snowstorms and icy blasts won’t keep one big-hearted businessman from completing his “Winter Walk for Charity.”
On Dec. 18 and 19, Jeffrey Liskov, 37, of Plymouth, a vice president at Fidelity Investments, will walk 100 miles, from Provincetown to Plymouth Rock, in hopes of raising at least $2,500 for the Feal Good Foundation - a nonprofit charity founded in 2005 to aid sick or injured 9/11 rescue workers.
“I’m doing the charity walk to raise awareness of a situation that is happening to 9/11 first-responders,” Liskov said.
The foundation “sends out checks to them to help put food on the table, to pay rent if need be, and pays medical bills,” he said.
This year the organization has made 91 donations to 9/11 rescuers.
He may be joined by the Feal Good Foundation founder. John Feal, 41, of New York, was the supervisor of a demolition company when he responded to Ground Zero on Sept. 12, 2001. He was hospitalized for 11 weeks after a beam weighing several tons fell on his feet.
Realizing that thousands like him also suffer from illnesses and injuries as a result of their 9/11 rescue work, Feal founded his organization to help supplement governement aid to the nearly 40,000 rescue workers.
Ex-Giant George Martin takes 9/11 walk
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_...-10_exgiant_george_martin_takes_911_walk.html
BY OWEN MORITZ
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Monday, December 10th 2007, 4:00 AM
Former Giant George Martin at the beginning of his 3,200-mile 'Journey for 9/11' on the George Washington Bridge last September. Albans/News
Former Giant George Martin at the beginning of his 3,200-mile 'Journey for 9/11' on the George Washington Bridge last September.
Ex-Giant lineman George Martin is tackling some unexpected danger in the back hills of Virginia and Tennessee on his coast-to-coast walk to raise millions for ailing 9/11 first responders: Dogs - and lots of them.
The Giants' retired co-captain said he came across "an inherent canine danger" as he approached the Tennessee border.
"Dogs are everywhere, and apparently leash laws here are as scarce as dental coverage," he joked.
No number of vicious dogs will deter him from his goal of raising $10 million for 9/11 heroic first responders, however.
"There are thousands of true national heroes of 9/11 who are now suffering medically," he said. "And I believe we owe them our support for helping our nation survive and heal after such a horrific tragedy."
Martin, 54, is walking up to 30 miles a day on his 3,200-mile journey. The trip began in September at the George Washington Bridge and will end at the Golden Gate Bridge by early March.
And while Martin says most of the locals along the way treat him kindly, some at first look at the 6-foot-5, 260-pound former defensive end with suspicion.
"Despite the pleasant warnings that we might be viewed as an oddity in this region of the country," Martin said, "we have actually grown accustomed to being stared at by the locals as though we were escapees from Roswell's Area 51."
He estimates his walk has raised $1.5 million so far. The figures are promised to be matched by medical institutions and corporate supporters.
Martin's route can be tracked online at www.ajourneyfor911.info.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_...-10_exgiant_george_martin_takes_911_walk.html
BY OWEN MORITZ
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Monday, December 10th 2007, 4:00 AM
Former Giant George Martin at the beginning of his 3,200-mile 'Journey for 9/11' on the George Washington Bridge last September. Albans/News
Former Giant George Martin at the beginning of his 3,200-mile 'Journey for 9/11' on the George Washington Bridge last September.
Ex-Giant lineman George Martin is tackling some unexpected danger in the back hills of Virginia and Tennessee on his coast-to-coast walk to raise millions for ailing 9/11 first responders: Dogs - and lots of them.
The Giants' retired co-captain said he came across "an inherent canine danger" as he approached the Tennessee border.
"Dogs are everywhere, and apparently leash laws here are as scarce as dental coverage," he joked.
No number of vicious dogs will deter him from his goal of raising $10 million for 9/11 heroic first responders, however.
"There are thousands of true national heroes of 9/11 who are now suffering medically," he said. "And I believe we owe them our support for helping our nation survive and heal after such a horrific tragedy."
Martin, 54, is walking up to 30 miles a day on his 3,200-mile journey. The trip began in September at the George Washington Bridge and will end at the Golden Gate Bridge by early March.
And while Martin says most of the locals along the way treat him kindly, some at first look at the 6-foot-5, 260-pound former defensive end with suspicion.
"Despite the pleasant warnings that we might be viewed as an oddity in this region of the country," Martin said, "we have actually grown accustomed to being stared at by the locals as though we were escapees from Roswell's Area 51."
He estimates his walk has raised $1.5 million so far. The figures are promised to be matched by medical institutions and corporate supporters.
Martin's route can be tracked online at www.ajourneyfor911.info.
Congress seeks more treatment for 9/11 workers in spending bill
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--attacks-health1210dec10,0,318599.story
By DEVLIN BARRETT | Associated Press Writer
1:49 PM EST, December 10, 2007
WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and New York area lawmakers have added $109 million in health care for sick ground zero workers as part of a massive spending bill that faces an uncertain future in a budget standoff between Democrats and the White House.
The money for treatment of ground zero workers _ double the amount provided in an earlier emergency spending bill _ was wrapped into a $500-billion-plus spending bill being finalized by the Democratic Congress, one that the White House has already threatened to veto.
As a senator, Clinton has pushed for years for the government to provide a long-term health care program for those sickened from their work at the toxic World Trade Center debris pile following the 2001 terrorist attacks. As a presidential candidate, she has highlighted her work on the issue.
"Today's announcement marks another step toward addressing those enduring wounds," Clinton said in a statement.
The new spending was pushed by lawmakers from New York and New Jersey.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--attacks-health1210dec10,0,318599.story
By DEVLIN BARRETT | Associated Press Writer
1:49 PM EST, December 10, 2007
WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and New York area lawmakers have added $109 million in health care for sick ground zero workers as part of a massive spending bill that faces an uncertain future in a budget standoff between Democrats and the White House.
The money for treatment of ground zero workers _ double the amount provided in an earlier emergency spending bill _ was wrapped into a $500-billion-plus spending bill being finalized by the Democratic Congress, one that the White House has already threatened to veto.
As a senator, Clinton has pushed for years for the government to provide a long-term health care program for those sickened from their work at the toxic World Trade Center debris pile following the 2001 terrorist attacks. As a presidential candidate, she has highlighted her work on the issue.
"Today's announcement marks another step toward addressing those enduring wounds," Clinton said in a statement.
The new spending was pushed by lawmakers from New York and New Jersey.