Public Employee Press

Unionists spread holiday joy
Thanksgiving parade dream comes true for sick 9/11 responder

By JANE LaTOUR

Ken George, 47, lives on Social Security Disability and spends his days sucking oxygen from a tank. Serious health problems, connected to his work at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attack, forced him to retire in 2006 from the Highway Repairer job he enjoyed.

Starting Sept. 12, 2001, the former Local 376 member cleaned up the wreckage of the World Trade Center, breathing toxic dust and fumes as he worked 16 hours a day, seven days a week, clambering in and out of tunnels, delivering equipment and bringing body parts to the morgue.

"There was so much debris in the air it was like snow," George said. He developed the infamous WTC cough, dropped from a hefty 243 pounds to 165, and had a heart attack in 2005.

Although his life is now narrowly focused, George's family, wife Cyndi, and children Stephen, Nicole, and Gina, brighten his days.

The family became close to DC 37 Safety and Health Director Lee Clarke as they shared trips to Washington to press for the Zadroga bill, which would provide medical monitoring and treatment for thousands of 9/11 responders (see page 18).

Cyndi shared Ken's lifelong wish to be part of the Thanksgiving Day Parade with Clarke, who asked Principal Program Coordinator Lisa Baum to try to get the George family to the parade. Baum worked her magic with Macy's, the sponsor of the parade, and on Thanksgiving Day, Ken George and his family, including granddaughter Giovanna, 2, sat in the grandstands and enjoyed the thrill of a lifetime.

Celebrating tradition

Ken George was thrilled. "It was so beautiful and so exciting. I never expected to be so close and to be there with my family was really wonderful," he said. A highlight was spotting some of his former Local 376 workmates. "Some of the guys I used to work with years ago were the handlers for the Snoopy balloon."

"It was spectacular," said Cyndi George. "I've lived here all my life and I had never been to the parade. Lee Clarke and Lisa Baum - they're like your Dream Wishers come true."

While son Stephen volunteered to stay home and put the turkey in the oven, the rest of the family had a terrific time. "Even our teenager, Nicole, had a smile on her face," said Cyndi George. "It was so colorful. Each balloon excited us. It was a day I'll never forget."

As Ken George struggles with his deteriorating health, each visit to the doctor presents a new challenge. "It's a long, lingering disease and it's a cycle of things breaking down. It's not like you're going to get good news," he said.

But for one day, the family could forget their troubles and bask in the delight of being part of a New York tradition. "DC 37 has been so wonderful to my family," Ken George said. "It was unbelievable."