The recent 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund announcement that it will cut future funding to those sick from their work during the recovery efforts at the World Trade Center has devastated the September 11th community, including South Carolina resident, retired FDNY firefighter Chevalo Wilsondebriano.
Wilsondebriano spoke to Kolbie Satterfield of WCSC South Carolina, saying, “I always had in the back of my mind that my family would be taken care of in the eventuality that a serious illness comes my way because of 9/11. So this was devastating news to hear that this funding is being cut by 50 to 70%. I just don’t know what to do.”
So far, his health problems are manageable, but for many others, their work at the attack site has has grave or fatal consequences.
“This is one of the times where we need people, we need politicians, we need the public, we need everybody to really rally and really remember 9/11, and remember the victims and remember the rescuers — workers that really pretty much sacrificed our lives to try to do something great for our city and for our country. This is a time when we need the Victims Compensation Fund to be funded at least through the lifetime of us first responders and people who were there on 9/11,” Wilsondebriano said.
