The September 11th rescue and recovery workers, survivors, and advocates I met over the duration of my nearly 24-hour trip with the FealGood Foundation to Washington, D.C. serve as continual reminders, reminding me both why I embarked upon this sensitive project and how I have become so engrossed and inspired by it.  At this point I would like to take the time to introduce John Graham, Reggie Cervantes. 

John Graham and Reggie Cervantes:

(Michael Moore, second from right, poses for a photograph with Bill Maher, left, Reggie Cervantes, second from left, and John Graham following a special screening of SiCKO in New York in May.)

I met John Graham and Reggie Cervantes on the bus down to D.C.  They both expressed a great interest in my research project on the aftermath of September 11th and the health issues effecting 9/11 rescue and recovery workers.  Graham and Cervantes, both emergency medical technicians (EMTs), were first responders at Ground Zero.

 John Graham at the November 18, 2009 9/11 Rally in Washington, D.C.

John Graham, a former volunteer EMT, rescue technician, carpenter and father of two young children from Paramus, New Jersey spent several months at Ground Zero.  On September 11th Graham was at his job at the carpenter’s union offices, near the World Trade Center.  He arrived on the scene before the second plane hit and remained there for the following 31 hours straight.  Graham continued working at Ground Zero for months afterwards.  He has since been diagnosed with lung problems, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), chronic sinusitis and he continues to suffer from lung, kidney and heart damage, among other things.  John states, “I need a notebook to remember everything” that he is suffering from.  The emergency oxygen tank he pulled off of “Truck # 14” at Ground Zero to assist others with, he now must use upon himself on a daily basis.  It has been reported that Graham had to stop working in 2004 and he “now lives on $400 per week in workmen’s comp payments”. (Source: usatoday.com)   

Reggie Cervantes

Reggie Cervantes, also a former volunteer EMT, rescue technician and mother of two young children, from Queens, New York, was a first-responder at Ground Zero.  In the time following her response to the attacks she has reported pulmonary ailments, esophageal reflex, PTSD and various ear and eye infections.  Cervantes, native New Yorker, has since had to move to Oklahoma due to medical and financial issues.  In her alien home of Oklahoma, Cervantes is repeatedly attacked and her home vandalized due to her advocacy for 9/11 Health Care Compensation.  Cervantes also shared that her fellow Oklahoma residents “berate” her and tell her that her problems “are a ‘New York Problem’ not an ‘Oklahoma Problem’”.  Cervantes shared with me several incidents involving her next-door neighbor, who happens to be an elementary teacher at the school her two young children attend.  “They have threatened me, hurt my dogs to the point that they can’t be outdoors alone, vandalized my car and property with slanderous, egregious graffiti.  It’s pathetic. It’s unbelievable”, says Cervantes. 

Please view the provided link.  It contains a brief video of a man attacking Cervantes outside an Oklahoma City Healthcare Rally.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eefJTh-BNFM 

If there is anyone out there reading this with connections to Oklahoma, please speak up and feel free to comment as this is not the first time I have heard what is now an infamous statement.     

Together, John Graham and Reggie Cervantes starred in Michael Moore’s “SiCKO”, a documentary film that “takes a harsh look at the health care industry in the United States, with the climax focusing on Ground Zero responders”.  (EMS1.com article by Jamie Thompson).  The opportunity for them to take part in Moore’s documentary reportedly arose through connections with the FealGood Foundation, through which they are active participants and advocates for 9/11 rescue and recovery workers and survivors.

For further information on “SiCKO” simply check out the film’s trailer and several articles that I have provided below.        

Trailer for Michael Moore’s “SiCKO”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlDAUKSh9CQ

(Graham and Cervantes appear at about 1:50 in)

“’SiCKO Stars Thank Moore for Cuba Trip” (usa today):

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/2007-05-19-4162751085_x.htm

“Moore Film’s 9/11 Workers Denied Insurance, Sought Care in Cuba” (insurancejournal.com):

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2007/06/26/81111.htm

Is 9/11 a “New York Problem”?  Was the Oklahoma City bombing an “Oklahoma Problem”?

Thoughts on the 9/11 rescue and recovery workers trip to Cuba?

Please share any further thoughts and/or comments that you may have on the film or anything else I touched upon in my discussions.