VIDEO: 5 NYC First Responders Die From 9/11-Related Illnesses in 1 Week
Five first responders — three FDNY and two NYPD employees — died from 9/11 related illnesses last week. One New York City resident started a nonprofit that built and maintains a memorial etched with the names of first responders who have died from 9/11-related illnesses, reports WNBC.
John Feal is the founder of the FealGood foundation, a nonprofit organization that assists first responders who have been injured in the line of duty. His group raised money for a massive granite memorial on Long Island. Each etched name represents a first responder who died from a 9/11-related illness.
The memorial lists about 800 names and was last updated in September 2016. Feal says since then, 55 more NYPD and FDNY heroes have died, including the five taken last week. Many have died from cancer.
"This was built so history is not distorted," he said. "So that no one can take away from the heroic sacrifices these men and women did for their city and their country."