Riverhead Doctor Writes Book, Produces Film About 9/11 First Responders

Since 9/11, many of the nearly 70,000 first responders who rushed to the scene that day have suffered from severe medical and psychological problems. Though communities are often quick to praise their heroism, the 900 first responders who died since 9/11 have become a forgotten footnote to history. But not for Dr. Benjamin Luft.

Luft, a Professor of Medicine at Stony Brook University and Riverhead resident, has written a book entitled We're Not Leaving which tells the stories of 9/11 responders in their own words. Luft has also produced a film, 9/11: An American Requiem, which will be housed in the Library of Congress as an oral history program on the individual stories of heroism of 9/11. The film premiered to packed crowds at the Stony Brook Film Festival this summer, and portions of it will be shown on WLIW and WNET.

On Sunday Luft will appear on Sixty Minutes discussing the Long Island World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program, a medical program he helped established to care for first responders.
Luft said the dust caused by the collapsing World Trade Center lead to a variety physical symptoms and conditions due to the different materials within the rubble.

“It became apparent that the exposure down at Ground Zero was very complex in terms of the dust, polycarbons, fumes, burning debris, heavy metals," he said. Luft added that the psychic trauma of the day was just as costly.

"The nature of the carnage was that people were not only killed, but they were totally dismembered," Luft said. "There was trauma from being in an environment that was continuously uncertain and dangerous.”

Together with his colleagues Luft began a program to treat the responders for their medical and psychological problems in an integrated manner.  The LI WTC Medical Monitoring and Treatment Center provides care to almost 6,000 disaster responders.

But Luft said he realized during his treatment that first responders' stories were being lost.

“The responders were being reduced to their diseases," he said. "They were being seen as victims. That’s not what I was hearing as from their stories. They weren’t victims. They were heroes, highly complex and motivated people who became ill as a result of their service."

Luft said he hopes his book and film will help tell their story.

"I felt it was important to tell who they were, what motivated them, their courage, their sense of community, their sense of loyalty, the sacrifices they made and how they were trying to renew themselves in the face of a horrible catastrophe,” he said.

While the lack of recognition for the stories of these responders is an issue for Luft, what troubles him is a decision to exclude the 9/11 responders from the ceremonies at Ground Zero this Sunday.

“They sacrificed so much, did so much good and were such an integral part of this tragedy," he said. "What these responders did as a group shows the best of America.”