CHICAGO: Making the decision to help 15 years ago might end Garrett Goodwin’s life early.
Goodwin, 39, was one of tens of thousands of people at the World Trade Center right after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. A trained medic, he traveled from Tampa, Fla., to New York to volunteer.
Now, his lungs are failing him, and doctors say that will lead to his death. Goodwin is one of many volunteers who spent long hours toiling in the World Trade Center ruins, where toxic fumes made many sick or dead.
Most of the Sept. 11 responders were from the New York area. But about 9,500 came from elsewhere across the country, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
“People really did come from all over,” said Dr. Michael Crane, medical director of the World Trade Center Health Program at Manhattan’s Mount Sinai hospital.
Some of them might not be aware that cancer or a cough, diagnosed by a doctor in Ohio or California, could be connected to that work 15 years ago.
Crane estimates that 90,000 people helped in the area after the attacks. Right now, about 65,000 responders are in the WTC Health Program, run by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, to track and treat them.
“There’s still a good chunk of folks out there who responded to the event and most likely have not been seen by anybody yet,” Crane said.
Federal officials hope to reach them.
A continuing public awareness campaign includes a May video with comedian Jon Stewart and a nationwide provider network to connect responders to help wherever they might be.
Their message? Sign up for the program, which provides medical care and monitoring through the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, named for a detective who became terminally ill after working at the World Trade Center site. In December, President Barack Obama signed a law extending funding through 2090.
More than 5,000 people in the program have Sept. 11-related cancer, Crane said. About 40 percent have a respiratory or gastrointestinal problem. Studies are regularly released monitoring Sept. 11-related health issues.
John Feal, founder of the FealGood Foundation, which advocates for responders like himself, said he knows many affected in various states, but that many with symptoms don’t even realize there’s a link.
“Take into effect people from Illinois or other parts of the country that went to ground zero in the early weeks or months and went home and got sick,” he said. “Nobody knew why they got sick.”
About 1,500 registry members live in Florida, where New York police and firefighters often retire.
Even among those who are healthy, cancer is a constant fear.
Mental issues are also an enormous, enduring obstacle. Some who were there still have nightmares or anxiety near a city skyline. Terrorism headlines also are triggers.
According to registry statistics, 1 in 5 responders suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
“These guys were really, really exposed to some horrifying sights,” Crane said, adding that depression rates are similar to those of young war veterans. “It left an impact.”
Doctors continue to prepare for what lies ahead.
Part of that means trying to make it easier to monitor far-flung patients. Crane is thinking of responders who retire elsewhere; video checkups would be less burdensome than a trip to New York for care, for instance.
And some illnesses may occur years from now.
For example, dust contained asbestos, which can create lung problems and, in some cases, cancer as many as 40 years later, Crane said. Hence, the importance of monitoring as many people as possible.