On your MARK, get set, GO!

 On 9/11, we didn’t know if my dad would come home. My mom picked us up from school and we all sat glued to the TV and phone, hoping for a ring. All we knew was that he was sent down there in a squad car-he was a Port Authority police officer. After what felt like forever, my dad came into the house at night, covered in black dust. He got away by jumping into an ambulance with open back doors when the North tower began to rumble before it fell. We were so happy-he was home and he was a hero. He saved many lives that day and even received an award from Mayor Giuliani. We were lucky, or so we thought.

in 2015 my dad was diagnosed with leukemia, which has been linked to 9/11 survivors. Over the last year and a half, the amount of people with newly diagnosed cancers related to 9/11 has doubled. It’s being called “The Second Wave.” Many of these cancers-including my dad’s- are rare, aggressive and particularly hard to treat. The majority of his roommates at Sloan Kettering- and he has had many- were also at Ground Zero. This is a tragedy. Thank you Jon Stewart and other supporters of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health & Compensation Act for extending it 75 years and to include cancer, which was not initially recognized.

Our father passed on July 31, 2017 after a long and hard battle for two years. He is survived by his wife, Florence, who is a big believer in giving back and doing charitable work. His son Eric, a history and ESL teacher that has traveled the world and takes pride in the arts and history.  His twin daughters Jessica and Kristen are both doctors that actively take part in giving back and raising awareness in the community about this tragedy and how it affected so many. 

Please pray for our dad, Mark Meier, and other heroes and survivors and their families who are continuing to be affected by that awful day so many years later.