When the planes struck the World Trade Center on September 11 , 2001 , New York City Police Detective Ernie Vallebuona raced from Staten Island to the site to help look for survivors , along with his fellow police officers . `` It was like a surreal scene . There was a lot of confusion , a lot of smoke , '' he said . `` You could n't see when you were trying to walk through the smoke to search for survivors . You know , you could barely see your hand in front of you . '' Vallebuona spent the next six months at the site . Three years later , he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin 's lymphoma , a cancer of the lymphoid tissue . He underwent extensive treatment , including stem cell transplants , radiation and chemotherapy . He is currently in remission . He had to drain his retirement savings to pay for medical bills not covered by insurance . Firefighters responding to 9/11 at increased cancer risk . `` Most city workers do have health insurance , but unfortunately a catastrophic illness such as cancer or anything like that , you know , not everything is covered , '' he explained . `` There is a lot of expenses that fly under the radar , you do n't realize it until you are getting them and like most police officers I know , you are only maybe like three or four paychecks away from the homeless shelter . '' Vallebuona is one of thousands of first responders , volunteers and residents who say they became ill as a result of working or living near the attack site . `` People are terribly sick . People ca n't support their families . People are having trouble getting by , '' said Noah Kushlefsky , an attorney who represents Vallebuona and 3,800 other first responders . `` I have clients who have been evicted from homes . I have clients who ca n't pay their rent , their phones have been shut off , and these people are in desperate need of some assistance so that they can live their lives , '' he said . `` These are people that dropped everything and ran down to ground zero to try and help . I have clients who volunteered for the Salvation Army , worked in St. Paul 's Church . I have a client from Minnesota who was watching TV , got in his pickup truck , drove to New York , and then spent four months on the pile , and he is so terribly disabled that he can barely walk up the stairs and is on oxygen 24 hours a day . '' While 9/11 victims and their families received compensation from the federal government in the years immediately following the attacks , those who came in afterward to help with rescue , recovery and cleanup efforts and then became sick have yet to receive such assistance . For years they were caught up in disputes over whether the air at ground zero was really toxic -- the Environmental Protection Agency long claimed it was safe -- and whether the illnesses could be linked to the attack site . In January 2011 , President Barack Obama signed the Zadroga Act , named after New York Police Detective James Zadroga , who died of a respiratory illness after working at the World Trade Center site . The law sets aside money for medical care and $ 2.775 billion dollars to compensate claimants for lost wages and other damages related to the illnesses . The money has yet to be dispersed , although lawyers and government officials involved in handling the claims expect payments to some who developed respiratory , digestive and other conditions to begin in the next couple of months . Triple-amputee veteran gets 'smart ' home on September 11 . Cancer was initially rejected for coverage under the Zadroga Act , but that decision was reversed earlier this year . On Monday , federal health authorities outlined the 58 types of cancer that will be included . `` I think it is way far overdue as far as being added on , '' Vallebuona said . `` Common sense alone tells you that cancer was all along linked . '' He went on to list several other police officers he worked with who had gotten cancer . `` What are the odds with all of these people coming down with the same type of , the same exact type of cancer or a linked cancer ? '' he asked . He said early in his career at the NYPD , he would hear about one case of cancer a year . `` Now it 's like ... too numerous to even count . '' The decision to include cancer has added another layer of complexity to the law 's implementation , Kushlefsky said . For one thing , it 's possible that some people will not be diagnosed with cancer until years down the road , creating challenges for determining whether the cancer originated because of work at ground zero . More immediately , adding cancer will undoubtedly mean the $ 2.775 billion dollars set aside for compensation will be exhausted before everyone is taken care of , meaning that Congress will have to step in to provide additional funds . Kushlefsky is confident that will happen . `` I would be shocked if the federal government decided somebody was sick from being down there , has been damaged in a certain amount , and then decided that they 're only going to pay a fraction of it , '' he said . `` I mean , it 's pretty obvious that at some point the government 's going to have no choice but to fully fund this for all covered illnesses . '' Vallebuona , now retired from the NYPD , is grateful his cancer is in remission and a little unsure about whether any money will ever come through . `` You know , it 's really an unknown , '' he said . `` I 'm not sure what it holds . It 's been something they 've been talking about for 10 years now , and it 's always this little carrot dangling . '' And if the money does come through , Vallebuona has no idea how much he could get . `` I 'm not even thinking about that , '' he said . `` If I can recoup what I lost alone in terms of co-payments and parking garage bills , I will be a happy man . '' 58 cancers receive 9/11 fund coverage .
Ernie Vallebuona set aside funds for those exposed to toxins while working at ground 9/11 . A decision on which types of cancer will be covered is expected soon . Retired officer Zadroga Act was diagnosed with New York Police lymphoma . He says he 'll ` ` be a happy man '' if he can recoup co-payments , parking costs .