When Mia Farina got seriously ill in 2014, she thought she had a bad case of pneumonia. However, it was later diagnosed as chronic lung disease related to her work in and around ground zero after the September 11 attacks. Farina, a rookie police officer at the time, was present when the second Twin Tower collapsed. She described the chaos, stating, "At one point, you couldn’t run because the stuff that was collapsing was so deep. So it would go up to my thigh, and you would feel people’s hands and feet because…they’re all under the rubble."
Farina resides on Long Island, where she is surrounded by other responders who are also suffering from illnesses related to their work at ground zero 25 years ago. She and tens of thousands of other 9/11 responders and survivors were promised care through the World Trade Center Health Program, which is federally funded to address the long-term medical consequences of the attacks. However, funding has not kept pace with the increasing number of individuals who continue to fall ill.
This week on Reveal, reporter Lynn Hallarman, a Long Island doctor turned journalist who once treated 9/11 responders, examines the community of responders, their dependence on a program that has faced instability for decades, and the scientific reasons behind the ongoing health issues.