By Ashley FerraroAs we approach the 20th anniversary of 9/11, CoralSprings residents and retired NYPD members Irvingand Maria Rodriguez remind us of the many reasonswe should never forget the events of that day and,more importantly, the sacrifices made by firstresponders.September 11, 2001, was election day in New York City,so Maria was situated at her election post in Harlem onthat seemingly ordinary Tuesday morning. Meanwhile,Irving was working undercover as a detective.“At the time, every officer had a radio foronly their jurisdiction, so we could onlyhear what was going on in our area,”Maria recounts. “We all switched over tothe citywide channel, and that’s when weheard what happened. Every single copran out of their election post and back totheir precinct.”Maria remembers sitting in a van for thirteenhours on standby, barely able to takea bathroom break until she could getdowntown to the Twin Towers. It wasn’tuntil 6 AM the next day that she finallyarrived at Ground Zero. “All I saw wassmoke and dust, it was such a grim sight.All I could smell was death,” Maria says.For the next two years, Maria’s new post was GroundZero. Officers slept at the precincts, days off were canceled,and going home was nothing more than taking aquick shower before coming right back. “I didn’t see a dayoff for at least six months,” she says.Despite the unfathomable challenges, the officers wereproud to do it. “Every officer wakes up in the morning andat night and puts on that uniform to protect and serve,”she adds.Although it’s been two decades, the tragedy is far fromover. The death toll of 9/11 continues to rise as morepeople have lost their lives in recent years due to 9/11-related illness than did that day. Irving chimes in, “I’ve hada lot of friends that have died of rare cancers. It’s stillgoing on, and people are dying every day.”The NYPD has lost over 200 current and former members,and more than 500 are currently battling various cancers.That’s in addition to the 200 plus FDNY members killedafter the attacks.According to the World Trade Center Health Program,which provides medical monitoring and treatment to firstresponders, volunteers, recovery workers, and affectedcivilians, over 20,000 responders and survivors have beendiagnosed with cancer. Tens of thousands more suffer fromother diseases, injuries, and complications.More than 100,000 responders and survivorsare currently enrolled in the WTCHealth Program, established by theJames Zadroga 9/11 Health andCompensation Act of 2010. In 2015, theprogram was reauthorized until 2090.“We should never forget the ultimate sacrificethat these men and women madeby going into those buildings and tryingto help others when those towers wentdown,” adds Maria. She and Irvingopened Gyroville in Coral Springs in Mayof 2020 to serve first responders for free.Fortunately, they were able to weatherthe worst of the pandemic and remain open, serving someof the best Mediterranean food in town.More than 100,000 responders and survivors are currentlyenrolled in the WTC Health Program, established by theJames Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of2010. In 2015, the program was reauthorized until 2090.“We should never forget the ultimate sacrifice that thesemen and women made by going into those buildings andtrying to help others when those towers went down,” addsMaria. She and Irving opened Gyroville in Coral Springs inMay of 2020 to serve first responders for free. Fortunately,they were able to weather the worst of the pandemic andremain open, serving some of the best Mediterranean foodin town.22
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