Cancer after 9/11: New Jersey man beats multiple myeloma years after attack, vows he’ll ‘fight to live’

Raj 3 weeks ago

0 5 minutes read

Nearly 3,000 individuals died within the terrorist assaults on Sept. 11, 2001 — and 22 years later, that quantity continues to rise due to associated most cancers deaths.

As of 2022, roughly 4,343 survivors and first responders died from poisonous publicity, far exceeding the quantity that misplaced their lives on the day of the assaults, in accordance to the World Trade Center Health Program.

But many sufferers and docs proceed to struggle these cancers day by day, together with at Hackensack Meridian’s John Theurer Cancer Center in New Jersey.

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One of those is Gerard Vanderberg, who was identified with multiple myeloma, a most cancers of the blood plasma cells, in August 2010.

He’s been handled at Hackensack Meridian since his prognosis.

Gerard Vanderberg (proper) was identified with multiple myeloma, a most cancers of the blood plasma cells, in August 2010. He has been handled at Hackensack Meridian by Dr. David Siegel (left) since his prognosis. (Dr. David Siegel/Gerard Vanderberg)

Vanderberg was a wholesome 47-year-old working as a bond dealer in a constructing immediately throughout the road from the Twin Towers on the time of the 9/11 assaults.

He recollects the big quantity of “white dust” that lined each floor when he returned to the workplace to collect his belongings a couple of days after 9/11.

“The white stuff was all over the place — in my computer, on my desk, in my books,” Vanderberg advised Fox News Digital in an interview.

“It wasn’t until later that I realized it was asbestos.”

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Vanderberg thought of himself fortunate to be alive after the assault. It could be 9 years earlier than he began noticing some uncommon signs.

“I was in great shape at the time — very athletic, never got sick — but suddenly there were some things going on in my body,” he mentioned.

Gerard Vanderberg is pictured in restoration after his first stem cell transplant at Hackensack Meridian in New Jersey. (Gerard Vanderberg)

He began getting ache in his facet and his knees in 2009, which at first he chalked up to soreness from enjoying basketball. Next, he developed a plasmacytoma, a tumor of plasma cells, outdoors his proper lung.

The following August, Vanderberg’s physician ordered some blood work, which led to the prognosis of multiple myeloma, a most cancers of the plasma cells.

“Right away, I decided, ‘I’m gonna fight this as much as I can,’” he mentioned.

“There has been a significant increase in the risk of myeloma among people who worked in the World Trade Center, as well as first responders and construction workers.”

Led by his oncologist, Dr. David Siegel, Vanderberg underwent an aggressive remedy journey that included many rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and stem cell therapies.

Multiple myeloma is the most cancers that noticed the most important uptick due to publicity at Ground Zero, in accordance to Siegel.

“There has been a significant increase in the risk of myeloma among people who worked in the World Trade Center, as well as first responders and construction workers who returned to the area after the attack,” Siegel advised Fox News Digital in an interview.

Dr. David Siegel of Hackensack Meridian in New Jersey is pictured right here. There’s been a big improve within the threat of myeloma amongst individuals who labored within the World Trade Center, he famous. (Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center )

The collapse of the World Trade Center despatched many poisonous carcinogens into the air, together with asbestos, silica, heavy metals and combustion merchandise, in accordance to a examine printed within the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

“I suspect that the people at the World Trade Center inhaled materials that got into their lungs,” Siegel mentioned.

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“It didn’t necessarily cause an injury in the lungs that turned into a cancer, although that could happen as well — but these materials got encapsulated in the immune cells, and the immune system just couldn’t rid itself of this chronic exposure.”

Chronic stimulation of the immune system will increase the danger of getting blood cancers, Siegel famous, notably multiple myeloma and lymphomas.

Gerard Vanderberg (left) is pictured together with his son Joseph after his commencement from Army Ranger School in December 2022. (Gerard Vanderberg)

Because melanomas take a very long time to develop, it may be years and even a long time earlier than a survivor receives a prognosis, the physician mentioned.

In the years after 9/11, Siegel started to discover a cluster of most cancers instances within the space, notably amongst sufferers who have been youthful than the standard age of myeloma prognosis.

“With myeloma, the median age of diagnosis is about 70 … The median age for the World Trade Center-exposed patients was significantly younger than that.”

“With myeloma, the median age of diagnosis is about 70, and the median age for the World Trade Center-exposed patients was significantly younger than that,” he advised Fox News Digital.

“While I can’t say that the World Trade Center was responsible for every myeloma diagnosis that occurred in each exposed person, I can say that people who are exposed to the World Trade Center are statistically more likely to get myeloma,” Siegel added.

Vanderberg mentioned he’s “feeling good.” He enjoys snowboarding, golf and yoga. (Gerard Vanderberg)

Myeloma is an “extraordinarily rare cancer,” the physician mentioned — and virtually each affected person he handled from the World Trade Center was uncovered to asbestos.

Dr. Marc Siegel, medical professor of drugs at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, agreed that there’s a longtime hyperlink between World Trade Center publicity and numerous blood cancers, together with leukemia and lymphoma, in addition to lung most cancers.

“Ash, debris and harmful particles, including asbestos, silica, metals, concrete and glass” have been all potential carcinogens, he mentioned.

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“Fires contributed continued exposure to toxic gases, smoke, vapors and combustion by-products,” the physician added.

There have been different non-cancerous well being results as nicely, Dr. Marc Siegel added, together with esophageal issues, numerous lung points collectively referred to as “World Trade Center lung,” and psychological well being points like PTSD.

Gerard Vanderberg is pictured together with his daughter Caitlin (far left) and his spouse Silvana at a fundraiser gala in April 2023. (Gerard Vanderberg )

Today, Vanderberg is formally in remission for his myeloma and mentioned he’s “doing fine” — though he does expertise quite a lot of unhappiness for individuals who didn’t survive, together with lots of his pals, he mentioned.

“9/11 will always be a sad day in my life, a very emotional day,” he mentioned.

“I had a little bit of the guilt at first,” he mentioned. “I didn’t apply for the Victims Compensation fund right away, because I felt like, well, I’m alive and they’re dead.”

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Ultimately, Vanderberg is grateful that the World Trade Center Health Program has paid for all of the medical bills that weren’t lined by insurance coverage.

“If it weren’t for that program, I would have had to sell my home, and it would have been a much more difficult route,” he mentioned.

Vanderberg nonetheless has to take care of scleroderma, which is a hardening and tightening of the pores and skin and connective tissues, however he mentioned that total, he’s grateful for having the ability to do what he loves.