Filmmaker and advocate Bridget Gormley discusses with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum her father, Billy Gormley, who worked the rescue and recovery effort at Ground Zero who died in 2017 from lung and bladder cancer caused by exposure to toxins at Ground Zero. Below are some of her responses to questions about her father:
“My dad, a New York City firefighter with Engine 310/Ladder 174, was responding…
“In the months after 9/11, my dad…worked the rescue and recovery effort at Ground Zero. Despite the emotional and physical scars that the attacks and his time down at the site left on him and his fellow first responders, I know my dad would have done it all over again.
“While my dad survived the day of 9/11, the toxic dust lingered over his shoulder for 16 years. In January 2017, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Six months later, he passed away. His cancer was directly linked to his exposure to the toxic chemicals present at Ground Zero.”
Image from CBS News