SOME KIDS LEFT BEHIND

A memoir from a student who witnessed the 9/11 attacks and her subsequent fight for survivor health care services.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Nordstrom was sitting in her classroom at Stuyvesant High School, located a few blocks from ground zero. Following the attacks on the Twin Towers, she and her fellow classmates escaped lower Manhattan. However, one month later, students in the area were ushered back to school on assurance from the Environmental Protection Agency that the air and water quality in the area were safe. According to Nordstrom, returning to school was a major controversy among the student body. Smelling the acrid air as fires continued to burn and witnessing countless loads of debris being removed from the area with trails of dust following, the students knew something wasn’t right, but they felt powerless to do anything. Before long, there were reports of cancer and respiratory illnesses among Stuyvesant’s teachers, staff, and students. The EPA would later admit they did not have sufficient data at the time to support their initial statement regarding the area’s air and water quality. “For us the deaths came later, all from illness,” writes the author. Nordstrom candidly chronicles the events she witnessed on 9/11 and her ongoing struggle with PTSD as well as her quest for normalcy and purpose. The author shares moving details about her own and other survivors’ struggles, including problems obtaining insurance and differences in services offered to them versus those given to first responders. She discusses her advocacy work bringing to light the survivors’ plight, including starting the StuyHealth group, attending Victim Compensation Fund events, and testifying at a House Judiciary hearing alongside Jon Stewart, Hillary Clinton, and Nancy Pelosi. Regarding her reason for becoming an advocate, the author writes, “this was the only way to exercise agency in a situation in which I had none.” Nordstrom also provides helpful information and resources for others interested in pursuing advocacy and community work.

A powerful story of dedication and determination.