COLORADO SPRINGS — Nearly 3,000 people died from the 9/11 attacks. And while this is horrific event will be forever engraved in our nation’s history, some brave heroes are still paying the price.
The events of 9/11 are almost unspeakable and much credit goes to the brave men and women who not only saved many lives but continued to clean up the mess, helping our country to heal.
One of those heroes will forever be remembered. Special Agent Melissa Morrow worked through the toxic debris at the Pentagon. Melissa worked many shifts cleaning up human remains, items covered in fuel, and the mess that was left after that horrific day at the Pentagon. Little did Melissa know that she was inhaling toxic air each time she worked one of those shifts. Melissa died at just 48 years old. Years later, Melissa’s best friend shares her story with all of us.
“At that point, she was completely riddled with brain tumors, they said her tumor load was something they had never seen before. She had about 7 gumball-sized tumors,” said special agent, Paige Pinson of the FBI Kansas City office. Pinson went on to share more details about Melissa with KSHB 41.
“She would tell me a story about how she was able to find a coffee mug. It was a broken coffee mug and return it to one of their family members, their father perished in the pentagon and that was really important to her.”
Unfortunately, Melissa’s story isn’t alone. The Justice Department recently released a report, that shares striking data. The report claims that more people have died from 9/11 illnesses than the initial attack. And that’s not the only data. The CDC claims more than 2,900 people have died due to illnesses caused by the 9/11 attack.
