Like many of you, I just finished watching 60 Minutes and it's special on September 11, 2001. The segment I found particularly intriguing was the last one when Scott Pelley interviewed several survivors. They all talked about their respiratory problems and the long-term health effects they all are experiencing as a result of breathing in all of the toxic dust during their time at Ground Zero.
If you missed it, you can view it here:
I guess the two words none of them uttered that bothered me were asbestos and mesothelioma. The reason that bothered me so much is two-fold. One: The Twin Towers were coated with asbestos and much of that dust was that pulverized asbestos.
The second word which was not spoken was mesothelioma. Asbestos poisoning has a special meaning to me because my father died of mesothelioma in 2006. His lungs were full of asbestos he received from a second job he had for close to twenty years. The frustrating thing for me is knowing the two asphalt companies he worked for never told their so-called "Associates" were slowly killing themselves every day by exposing themselves to this toxic dust they were inhaling constantly as they blew and swept up from parking lots, driveways and rooftops. The insidious thing about asbestos is it can remain in our lungs for as long as forty years before it starts to manifest itself.
I also want to introduce you to one more survivor of 9/11. That is William Rodriguez. After hearing him speak, on October 9, 2007, I wrote about one of the true heroes of the 9/11 attacks. He was a maintenance worker in the North Tower and saved many lives. His story is very compelling. To learn more about him, I have a link to his website on that post. You can read it by clicking here.
We are going to see people dying from all sorts of respiratory ailments for decades to come!
As always, I welcome your comments.
Later,
Mike
P.S. To my Facebook friends who want to see this video, just go to my blog by clicking here. While you are there, please subscribe to it, follow the directions, you will receive an email every time I post, and you can check out some of my old posts. You will find some of them educational, entertaining and occasionally even humorous. Thank you.
Showing posts with label 9/11. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 9/11. Show all posts
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Thursday, September 11, 2008
What Do You Remember?
I used to watch CNN every morning while my attendant got me dressed, into my chair and ready for the day. I'll never forget watching live as the second plane came crashing into the South Tower of the World Trade Center over Aaron Brown's shoulder.
Like most of you, and much of the country, I spent the rest of the day glued to the TV and watched with horror as the day unfolded and stories began to fill the airways. It was a day none of us will ever forget.
Can you believe it's already been seven years? It seems like it was just yesterday. I'm guessing that may never change for me.
I would like to know what your memories are of that fateful day. What did you think on 9/11? Please feel free to comment.
For my subscribers, click on the title of the blog link at the bottom of this email and you will be directed to my blog. Then go to the bottom of the post and click on Comments.
For other readers, simply click on Comments to leave yours.
If you do not want to subscribe to Blogger or are not already a member, just click on Anonymous and you can leave your comment. It's easy to do, just follow the directions.
I look forward to your comments.
Later,
Mike
Like most of you, and much of the country, I spent the rest of the day glued to the TV and watched with horror as the day unfolded and stories began to fill the airways. It was a day none of us will ever forget.Can you believe it's already been seven years? It seems like it was just yesterday. I'm guessing that may never change for me.
I would like to know what your memories are of that fateful day. What did you think on 9/11? Please feel free to comment.
For my subscribers, click on the title of the blog link at the bottom of this email and you will be directed to my blog. Then go to the bottom of the post and click on Comments.
For other readers, simply click on Comments to leave yours.
If you do not want to subscribe to Blogger or are not already a member, just click on Anonymous and you can leave your comment. It's easy to do, just follow the directions.
I look forward to your comments.
Later,
Mike
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
William Rodriguez
William Rodriguez was the last survivor out of the North Tower of the World Trade Center before it collapsed on September 11, 2001. He tells a compelling story about his experience and his life since that fateful morning.
I was fortunate enough to hear him speak Sunday night at a church just a block and a half from my house. In graphic detail, he told about his experiences of that day and how his life has changed. He shared pictures of his journey that has literally taken him around the world.
He has helped write legislation to benefit survivors and families of the victims. He has helped many organizations raise millions of dollars. He has been to the White House five times. He has visited with heads of state in many foreign countries. He testified before the 9/11 Commission. He is a masterful storyteller. And, coming from another professional storyteller, that being me, he said, "Wow! Thank you so much. That means a lot to me."
He's also had his life threatened. Been discredited by so-called experts who were not at the WTC on 9/11. But most notably, not one word of his, and many other eye witnesses of the attacks who testified before the 9/11 Commission had their names, or their personal accounts of the day, even mentioned in the official report!
He saved untold numbers of lives that day because he was in possession of one of the five master keys to the stairwells in the North Tower. According to him, the holders of the other four keys ran out of the building to save their own lives instead of risking their lives to save others like William did.
Against orders from more than one of his superiors, he made several trips up the stairwells and unlocked doors to let people out. Oh yeah, William was employed by a maintenance company. He was a janitor in the WTC for twenty years. His job for the last ten years had been to clean the stairwells of the North Tower!
He has told his story to millions of people around the world, many through Spanish-speaking television. Yet, here in America, most people have never even heard of him. His story needs to be heard before it's too late.
After his speech, he told me how he has started to show some of the effects of all of the toxic dust he inhaled that day. His lungs have, among other toxins, asbestos in them. He told how many of his friends have already succumbed to the affects of asbestos poisoning and other respiratory diseases.
I urge you to go and hear him tell his story if he ever comes to your community. Or, go to his website, William911.com and view a video of one of his speeches. You won't regret listening and learning the story of a true American hero. I certainly will never forget his speech.
I was fortunate enough to hear him speak Sunday night at a church just a block and a half from my house. In graphic detail, he told about his experiences of that day and how his life has changed. He shared pictures of his journey that has literally taken him around the world.
He has helped write legislation to benefit survivors and families of the victims. He has helped many organizations raise millions of dollars. He has been to the White House five times. He has visited with heads of state in many foreign countries. He testified before the 9/11 Commission. He is a masterful storyteller. And, coming from another professional storyteller, that being me, he said, "Wow! Thank you so much. That means a lot to me."
He's also had his life threatened. Been discredited by so-called experts who were not at the WTC on 9/11. But most notably, not one word of his, and many other eye witnesses of the attacks who testified before the 9/11 Commission had their names, or their personal accounts of the day, even mentioned in the official report!
He saved untold numbers of lives that day because he was in possession of one of the five master keys to the stairwells in the North Tower. According to him, the holders of the other four keys ran out of the building to save their own lives instead of risking their lives to save others like William did.
Against orders from more than one of his superiors, he made several trips up the stairwells and unlocked doors to let people out. Oh yeah, William was employed by a maintenance company. He was a janitor in the WTC for twenty years. His job for the last ten years had been to clean the stairwells of the North Tower!
He has told his story to millions of people around the world, many through Spanish-speaking television. Yet, here in America, most people have never even heard of him. His story needs to be heard before it's too late.
After his speech, he told me how he has started to show some of the effects of all of the toxic dust he inhaled that day. His lungs have, among other toxins, asbestos in them. He told how many of his friends have already succumbed to the affects of asbestos poisoning and other respiratory diseases.
I urge you to go and hear him tell his story if he ever comes to your community. Or, go to his website, William911.com and view a video of one of his speeches. You won't regret listening and learning the story of a true American hero. I certainly will never forget his speech.
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