Any mention of the devastating terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 instantly brings to mind the loss of 2,996 victims in lower Manhattan, at the Pentagon, and in a grassy field outside Shanksville, PA. However, it is equally important to bear in mind that the number of deaths attributable to that terrible day in U.S. history continues to climb due to an increase in 9/11-related illnesses among that day’s first responders.
This fact has tragically been driven home once again by the untimely death of a young NYPD officer who did not hesitate to jump into the action nearly 17 years ago. Kelly Korchak was just 38 years old when she died in June of 9/11-related cancer, mere months after giving birth to her only son, Luke.
Devastating diagnosis, selfless perseverance
In October 2016, Korchak, a resident of Eltingville, NY, returned home after a day of work to find severe swelling on one of her legs. Subsequent medical testing revealed a pair of blood clots, one of which had already burst.
A chest x-ray taken at that time revealed something far more profound: spots all over her lungs that were indicative of primary peritoneal cancer.
What made this diagnosis especially catastrophic was the fact that Korchak was in her third trimester of pregnancy at the time. In order to allow the baby’s lungs more time to develop, the mother-to-be declined an early delivery, ultimately undergoing chemotherapy after his birth.
Korchak died on June 10 of the cancer, which is believed to be traceable to her work in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Commitment to service led to police career
Though she had long dreamed of becoming a teacher, difficulty finding full-time work in the education field led Korchak to register for the police examination. According to her mother, law enforcement work turned out to be her true calling after all.
“She took to it and she had good instincts,” her mother said. “She was good at reading people. She was meant to be a cop.”
Eventually serving 16 years on the job, Korchak developed a reputation for having particularly keen instincts and abilities, receiving the “Cop of the Month” award on multiple occasions. She was credited with a key role in halting a burglary ring in 2012 that targeted victims of Asian descent.
Two weeks at Ground Zero
Korchak was attending the police academy when terrorist attackers crashed two airplanes into the World Trade Center towers. She was assigned to work onsite at Ground Zero for two weeks, assisting with traffic duty and helping utility workers get where they needed to go.
A diagnosis of primary peritoneal cancer is considered quite rare, and many suspect that Korchak’s was directly linked to the type of occupational exposure she received in the two weeks following Sept. 11. Prior to learning that she had the ultimately fatal disease, Korchak showed no symptoms of the illness, though her condition rapidly deteriorated in the months thereafter.
[show_poll poll_id=639]
Ongoing health concerns continue to plague 9/11 heroes
This young mother’s tragic story underscores the plight suffered by legions of forgotten victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s World Trade Center Health Program reports having registered well over 5,400 people with diagnoses of 9/11-related cancers, a number which is likely to be higher given that the CDC’s statistics only include those who have chosen to self-enroll.
Researchers have found that firefighters, rescue workers, police offers, and others who spent time at the World Trade Center site following 9/11 have a significantly elevated risk of developing certain types of cancers, particularly multiple myeloma. This is due to the aerosolized dust, toxic fumes, jet fuel, pulverized glass fibers, asbestos, diesel fuel combustion byproducts, and other carcinogens that many were exposed to.
Though the passage of time may serve to dull our memories of the deadliest attack ever launched on American soil, it is crucial that we don’t forget the suffering of those who continue to be affected by the tragedy. Korchak, and other heroes like her, will certainly be missed.
772 Responses
Chuyên viên trang điểm tại các studio áo cưới
F*ckin’ awesome things here. I’m very glad to see your article. Thanks a lot and i am looking forward to contact you. Will you please drop me a e-mail?
As the admin of this website is working, no doubt very soon it will be renowned, due to its quality contents.|
I was curious if you ever considered changing the page layout of your site? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?|
Whats up very cool website!! Man .. Excellent .. Superb .. I will bookmark your web site and take the feeds also…I’m happy to find a lot of useful information right here within the put up, we want work out more techniques in this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .
This is the perfect website for everyone who would like to find out about this topic. You know so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I personally would want to…HaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a topic that has been discussed for many years. Wonderful stuff, just excellent!|
It’s actually a nice and useful piece of info. I’m glad that you just shared this helpful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.|
Stunning story there. What happened after? Thanks!|
I think other web site proprietors should take this website as an model, very clean and magnificent user genial style and design, as well as the content. You are an expert in this topic!
First of all I would like to say superb blog! I had a quick question which I’d like to ask if you don’t mind. I was curious to know how you center yourself and clear your thoughts before writing. I’ve had a tough time clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out. I do enjoy writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are generally lost simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any recommendations or tips? Thank you!|
you are in point of fact a just right webmaster. The site loading speed is amazing. It sort of feels that you are doing any distinctive trick. Moreover, The contents are masterpiece. you have done a fantastic job in this matter!|
If you are going for most excellent contents like myself, only pay a quick visit this web site every day since it presents feature contents, thanks|
Chuyên viên trang điểm sân khấu kịch, điện ảnh.
Nghá» trang Ä‘iểm cô dâu tá»± do, makeup Ä‘i tiệc, sinh nháºt, kỹ yếu.
Chuyên viên trang điểm sân khấu kịch, điện ảnh.
Your mode of explaining all in this post is truly nice, all be capable of simply be aware of it, Thanks a lot.|
My brother recommended I may like this web site. He was totally right. This put up actually made my day. You cann’t believe simply how much time I had spent for this information! Thank you!|
I have been exploring for a little bit for any high quality articles or weblog posts on this kind of space . Exploring in Yahoo I ultimately stumbled upon this site. Reading this information So i am glad to show that I have an incredibly good uncanny feeling I found out exactly what I needed. I most definitely will make certain to do not overlook this web site and give it a look regularly.|
I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz respond as I’m looking to construct my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from. appreciate it|
I do consider all of the ideas you have presented to your post. They are very convincing and will certainly work. Still, the posts are too short for novices. May just you please prolong them a bit from next time? Thanks for the post.|
Go to Pure CBD Selection for the best pure cbd oil. You can buy pure cbd oil that is full spectrum or broad spectrum. Make sure to sign up for there newsletter to receive a free coupon code.
Wow, that’s what I was exploring for, what a data! present here at this webpage, thanks admin of this site.|
One of your pages has a 404 error thought you should know.
I read this post completely concerning the comparison of most up-to-date and previous technologies, it’s awesome article.|
Everything is very open with a clear description of the challenges. It was truly informative. Your site is extremely helpful. Thank you for sharing!|
I was suggested this blog by my cousin. I am not sure whether this post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my problem. You’re wonderful! Thanks!
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d definitely donate to this excellent blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates and will share this website with my Facebook group. Chat soon!|
Go to Pure CBD Selection for the best pure cbd oil. You can buy pure cbd oil that is full spectrum or broad spectrum. Make sure to sign up for there newsletter to receive a free coupon code.
Hi, I do think this is an excellent web site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I will revisit yet again since i have bookmarked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide other people.|
Woah! I’m really enjoying the template/theme of this site. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s very hard to get that “perfect balance” between user friendliness and visual appeal. I must say you’ve done a fantastic job with this. Additionally, the blog loads super fast for me on Internet explorer. Excellent Blog!|
Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your post seem to be running off the screen in Opera. I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you know. The layout look great though! Hope you get the issue fixed soon. Kudos
When someone writes an paragraph he/she maintains the image of a user in his/her brain that how a user can understand it. Therefore that’s why this paragraph is outstdanding. Thanks!|
I was curious if you ever considered changing the layout of your website? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?|
I love reading your site.
Can I just claim what a relief to locate a person that actually recognizes what theyre discussing on the net. You absolutely recognize how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More individuals require to read this as well as comprehend this side of the tale. I cant believe youre not much more prominent due to the fact that you absolutely have the present.
This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger. I have joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your fantastic post. Also, I have shared your website in my social networks!|
I truly appreciate this post. I have been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thx again
Hey there I am so grateful I found your webpage, I really found you by mistake, while I was looking on Askjeeve for something else, Nonetheless I am here now and would just like to say kudos for a remarkable post and a all round entertaining blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to browse it all at the moment but I have bookmarked it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a lot more, Please do keep up the fantastic job.|
What a material of un-ambiguity and preserveness of precious familiarity concerning unexpected feelings.|