People often think of remembrance as happening once a year in September. We know remembrance happens every day you walk through our doors. Our remembrance isn't ceremonial—it's practiced. It's found in every annual check-up, every treatment appointment, every conversation at Chrissy's desk, every familiar face in the waiting room, every promise that we'll see each other again next year.
More often than not, what stays with us after you've left our offices isn't a diagnosis or a test result, it's how much we've laughed together. You have shown us that laughter isn't the absence of hardship; it's what can exist alongside it. It's a symptom of learning to carry what would otherwise feel impossible.
You have taught us so much about resilience. About getting up and going to work the next day. About running toward danger—toward whoever needs you most—even when you're carrying the weight of the anniversary of a friend you lost, a parent you miss, or even a twin. You have taught us that courage isn't just what happened on September 11. It's what you've continued to do every day since.
The world might expect our clinic to be filled with grief. Instead, anyone walking through the second floor of Metrotech would hear laughter echoing down the hallway—members catching up with old friends, stories from the job that somehow get funnier every year, and the kind of laughter that only comes from people who have shared something few others can understand. To us, that laughter is one of the greatest testaments to what has endured since 9/11: your resilience, your loyalty to one another, and your determination to continue living full, meaningful lives.
Our promise for the next twenty-five years, and for however long we are fortunate enough to do this work, is simple: we will be here. The FDNY World Trade Center Health Program will be here. For your next annual check-up, for the appointments in between, and for whatever you need along the way.
Thank you for trusting us with your health, your stories, and so often, your laughter. We have never taken that trust for granted. It is the greatest privilege to care for you.
Chrissy Hopson, Jessica Hernandez, Kai Houghton, Adam Vega, Natalie Coley NP, Ariel Doxey NP, Amanda Friscia NP, Mary Burke RN, William Piccininni RN, Margaret DelVecchio RN, Vitaly Davidzon RN