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Twenty-two years after the deadly terrorist attacks at theWorld Trade Centerin New York, a New Jersey man diagnosed with arare form of cancerhe developed after the tragedy is now in remission.Nine years after being exposed to toxins on 9/11, Gerard Vanderberg was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood plasma cells.At the time that the hijacked airplanes crashed, Vanderberg was a 47-year-old relatively healthy bond trader. His office was directly across the street from the Twin Towers.When he returned to his place of work a few days later to gather belongings that had been left behind, he recalled that “white dust” covered much of his office space.The streets of downtown New York are covered in debris after both World Trade Towers collapsed from a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 in New York City.Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty"The white stuff was all over the place — in my computer, on my desk, in my books," Vanderberg toldFox Newsin an interview. “It wasn’t until later that I realized it was asbestos.“Dust swirls around south Manhattan moments after a tower of the World Trade Center collapsed September 11, 2001 in New York City after two airplanes slammed into the twin towers in an alleged terrorist attack.Spencer Platt/GettyIn the years that followed, Vanderberg was simply happy to be alive and unaware that the white dust he was exposed to during theterrorist attackwould fester into a much larger issue.“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 said.In 2009, Vanderberg developed pains in his knee and sides. He thought the discomfort was due to playing basketball. Not long after, he discovered he had a plasmacytoma, a tumor of plasma cells, just outside of his right lung.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.In August 2010, his physician ran bloodwork, discovering that Vanderberg also had multiple myeloma. He decided then that he would “fight this as much as I can,” he told Fox News.According to Dr. David Siegel, an oncologist at the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, New Jersey, who treated Vanderberg following his diagnosis, multiple myeloma is the most commonly seen complication that people exposed toGround Zerohave developed since 9/11.“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 shared with the outlet.“I am going to fight to live. I could have given up, but that’s just not who I am,” Vanderberg, who is now in remission for his myeloma, said.Two weeks ago, Vanderberg was able to see his son get married.On Monday, Fox News reported that the number of survivors andfirst responderswho died from exposure to toxins from that day exceeds the death toll of those who died in the crashes — approximately 4,343 deaths as of 2022, per theWorld Trade Center Health Program.
Twenty-two years after the deadly terrorist attacks at theWorld Trade Centerin New York, a New Jersey man diagnosed with arare form of cancerhe developed after the tragedy is now in remission.
Nine years after being exposed to toxins on 9/11, Gerard Vanderberg was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood plasma cells.
At the time that the hijacked airplanes crashed, Vanderberg was a 47-year-old relatively healthy bond trader. His office was directly across the street from the Twin Towers.
When he returned to his place of work a few days later to gather belongings that had been left behind, he recalled that “white dust” covered much of his office space.
The streets of downtown New York are covered in debris after both World Trade Towers collapsed from a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 in New York City.Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty
Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty
“The white stuff was all over the place — in my computer, on my desk, in my books,” Vanderberg toldFox Newsin an interview. “It wasn’t until later that I realized it was asbestos.”
Dust swirls around south Manhattan moments after a tower of the World Trade Center collapsed September 11, 2001 in New York City after two airplanes slammed into the twin towers in an alleged terrorist attack.Spencer Platt/Getty
Spencer Platt/Getty
In the years that followed, Vanderberg was simply happy to be alive and unaware that the white dust he was exposed to during theterrorist attackwould fester into a much larger issue.
“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 said.
In 2009, Vanderberg developed pains in his knee and sides. He thought the discomfort was due to playing basketball. Not long after, he discovered he had a plasmacytoma, a tumor of plasma cells, just outside of his right lung.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
In August 2010, his physician ran bloodwork, discovering that Vanderberg also had multiple myeloma. He decided then that he would “fight this as much as I can,” he told Fox News.
According to Dr. David Siegel, an oncologist at the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, New Jersey, who treated Vanderberg following his diagnosis, multiple myeloma is the most commonly seen complication that people exposed toGround Zerohave developed since 9/11.
“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 shared with the outlet.
“I am going to fight to live. I could have given up, but that’s just not who I am,” Vanderberg, who is now in remission for his myeloma, said.
Two weeks ago, Vanderberg was able to see his son get married.
On Monday, Fox News reported that the number of survivors andfirst responderswho died from exposure to toxins from that day exceeds the death toll of those who died in the crashes — approximately 4,343 deaths as of 2022, per theWorld Trade Center Health Program.
source: people.com
