9/11 survivor Marcy Borders, who is known as “Dust Lady” after being photographed covered in dust while fleeing the World Trade Center, has died of stomach cancer at the age of 42.
Marcy Borders’ death was announced by her family on Facebook.
The woman was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2014 at the age of 41.
The iconic 9/11 photo of Marcy Borders was taken by AFP photographer Stan Honda as the attacks on the Twin Towers unfolded.
Marcy Borders, who was 28 at the time of the attacks, was working on the 81st floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower when the first plane hit. She fled down the stairwell and emerged from the building as the South Tower fell, covering her in dust and debris.
She said a stranger pulled her to safety in a nearby building, where Stan Honda took the now-famous photo.
Marcy Borders kept the clothes she was wearing – still covered in ash – in a plastic bag in her wardrobe, but as of 2011 had never looked at them, the Telegraph reported.
In the next 10 years following 9/11 attacks, Marcy Borders grappled with depression and substance abuse. She checked into a rehab center in 2011.
In an interview with the Jersey Journal in 2014, Marcy Borders speculated that her cancer was related to the attacks.
The number of cancer cases linked to 9/11 attacks has grown in recent years.
As of May 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported more than 4,000 first responders, rescue workers and survivors who have been diagnosed with cancer linked to the attacks.
The CDC said skin cancer, prostate cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are among the most common illnesses among those individuals.
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