A 9/11 cancer fund forum was sponsored recently by a law firm that represents up to 15,000 people that claim severe illness related to being in the vicinity of ground zero on Sept. 11, 2001. An additional sponsor for the event was the United Teachers Federation (UTF), an organization which also provided space for the meeting in which more than 200 people attended, according to pix11.com in a Dec. 9, 2019 article.

The aim of the educational outreach was to spread the word about the 9/11 cancer fund, also known as the Victim’s Compensation Fund (VCF). The initial run of the VCF was from 2001 to 2004, as indicated by the U.S. Department of Justice website. It was created to provide financial help for health damage suffered as a consequence of the terrorist attacks and included death benefits for surviving family members of those who lost their lives.

When it was discovered that there were long-lasting health impacts from the attacks that were not to reveal themselves for several years afterwards, President Obama reestablished the fund in 2010 and then in 2015 for five years each. Currently, injured individuals are allowed to file claims to the 9/11 cancer fund through Dec. 18, 2020.

The informational meeting held in lower Manhattan recently was an effort to educate people about the availability of benefits in the World Trade Center Health Care Program. The report claims that only five percent of people who lived, worked, or went to school in Lower Manhattan on 9/11 or during the eight months of debris cleanup afterwards are participating. It’s estimated that 400,000 people fall into these categories and a significant number of people are getting sick years after the event itself.

According to a Sept. 11, 2019 CBSNews.com article, nearly 3,000 individuals were killed on the day of the airplane crashes into the twin towers and at least 2,000 have since died of health challenges related to the consequential exposure to toxins. Given the amount of people that lived, worked, and went to school in the region and the sheer volume of air contamination with microscopic concrete, asbestos, glass, and chemicals, it is likely that many more are suffering without knowledge of the benefits available to them.

Those suffering from 9/11 health effects may not connect their cancers or other conditions to the terrorist attacks since so much time has passed since the event. At the forum, one woman spoke of developing breast cancer 12 years after the terrorist attack. She had lived in Lower Manhattan at the time and had her living quarters covered in tainted dust. This victim claimed it was so hard to breathe that she was forced to relocated within a couple of months.

Another woman told her story of being diagnosed with colon cancer 16 years after 9/11 and not making the connection for some time. She was a student at a local community college. Both of these speakers reiterated for the public the necessity of filing a claim in order to take advantage of free health care support, surgical intervention, and prescription medicine.

Its important to realize that you don’t have to be a first responder to benefit from this essential support. Evidential support will be required to place a claim and should include an affidavit, certified school transcript, or employment verification letter, to name a few.