Dust Lady's struggle: A life shaped by 9/11 tragedy
Marcy Borders survived the 11 September 2001 attack. The 41-year-old worked in an office on the 25th floor of one of the WTC buildings. The photo of the woman covered in dust became famous worldwide. After the attack on the Twin Towers, Marcy lost her job. She couldn't cope with the trauma from the tragedy she experienced.
11 September 2024 19:42
Marcy Borders is a woman whose photo after the attacks on the World Trade Center became one of the most recognisable images commemorating the events of 11 September 2001. Her story is part of the dramatic context of one of the most tragic days in US history.
Borders couldn't recover after experiencing this traumatic event. She also did not receive any proper assistance from the government. In one interview, she admitted that she would have preferred to die because then, at least, her child would have received compensation.
She survived the September 11 attack. She was fired from her job
At the moment of the attack, Marcy Borders was standing by the photocopier. As soon as the plane hit one of the towers, she immediately rushed to escape. When she reached the building's lobby, she was captured in a photograph by photographer Stan Honda.
- She was shaken up. She kept saying how grateful she was to be alive, but she was bad. She saw such awful things. People jumping from the building, recalled Mechelle Taylor, who was living in the same apartment building at the time.
The captured frame became a symbol of the tragic events, and Marcy was nicknamed "The Dust Lady". Her life changed dramatically after the tragedy. The 41-year-old was terrified to leave her home. Borders' employer demanded that she return to work within a week. Marcy wasn't able to meet this requirement and was fired because of it. This led her to bankruptcy and problems with alcohol abuse.
Her survival was a miracle. She regretted it until the end of her days
It was often mentioned that Marcy Borders' survival was a miracle. However, the woman wasn't grateful for the second chance. In one interview, she said she would have preferred to die. She said that her child, at least, would have received compensation. Nobody, except her close ones, provided her with support after this tragedy. With the help of her family, she went to rehab and overcame alcoholism.
She died on 24 August 2015 from stomach cancer. Moreover, she wasn't the only survivor of the WTC attack who was diagnosed with cancer. Cancer was also detected in some police officers and firefighters who helped the victims.
