The iconic photo of the dusty lady. Marcy Borders didn't know she was filmed. It was confirmed by her family that Marcy died of cancer. |
The iconic picture of a Black woman covered head to toe with dust from the horrific tragedy on September 11, 2001 passed away from stomach cancer.
Marcy Borders who became a groundbreaking image of the horrors of that day.
She was on her way to her job at the World Trade Center when reports of an explosion at the North Tower. Like most people at the WTC, not many people were aware of the event. Some didn't expect it to happen that fast. The second plane would crash into the South Tower.
Marcy was working at the tower.
She managed to escape the horror.
Marcy was a 28-year-old Bank of America worker when the photograph of her staring into the lens with her eyes asquint and her mouth agape was taken. Marcy, who came to be known around the world as “dust lady”, died on Monday at the age of 42 after a year-long battle with stomach cancer that she blamed on dust inhaled during the attack.
“I can’t believe my sister is gone,” Michael Borders wrote of his sibling on Facebook. Borders’ cousin John Borde added that she was a “hero” and she “unfortunately succumbed to the diseases that have ridden her body since 9/11”.
“In addition to losing so many friends, coworkers, and colleagues on and after that tragic day ... the pain from yesteryear has found a way to resurface,” he said.
Marcy had no idea she had been photographed until her mother called to say she had seen the picture. The image remained an emblem of the problems that continued to trouble her after the attacks.
The Guardian reports that Marcy was struggling since the event. She turned to drugs and had severe paranoia.
She battled severe depression and became addicted to crack cocaine. “I didn’t do a day’s work in nearly 10 years, and by 2011 I was a complete mess,” she said. “I was convinced Osama bin Laden was planning more attacks. Every time I saw an aircraft, I panicked. If I saw a man on a building, I was convinced he was going to shoot me.”
After losing custody of her two children, Borders checked into rehab in April 2011 and remained sober. She announced that she’d been diagnosed with stomach cancer and had undergone chemotherapy last summer. She was scheduled to undergo further surgery, radiation and chemotherapy in December.
Her daughter, Noelle, told the New York Post her mother “fought an amazing battle”.
World News Today send our condolences to the family of Marcy Borders.
Marcy was working at the tower.
She managed to escape the horror.
Marcy tried to overcome the fear. |
“I can’t believe my sister is gone,” Michael Borders wrote of his sibling on Facebook. Borders’ cousin John Borde added that she was a “hero” and she “unfortunately succumbed to the diseases that have ridden her body since 9/11”.
“In addition to losing so many friends, coworkers, and colleagues on and after that tragic day ... the pain from yesteryear has found a way to resurface,” he said.
Marcy had no idea she had been photographed until her mother called to say she had seen the picture. The image remained an emblem of the problems that continued to trouble her after the attacks.
The Guardian reports that Marcy was struggling since the event. She turned to drugs and had severe paranoia.
She battled severe depression and became addicted to crack cocaine. “I didn’t do a day’s work in nearly 10 years, and by 2011 I was a complete mess,” she said. “I was convinced Osama bin Laden was planning more attacks. Every time I saw an aircraft, I panicked. If I saw a man on a building, I was convinced he was going to shoot me.”
After losing custody of her two children, Borders checked into rehab in April 2011 and remained sober. She announced that she’d been diagnosed with stomach cancer and had undergone chemotherapy last summer. She was scheduled to undergo further surgery, radiation and chemotherapy in December.
Her daughter, Noelle, told the New York Post her mother “fought an amazing battle”.
World News Today send our condolences to the family of Marcy Borders.