Barasch & McGarry Recognizes Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.

If you were a first responder at Ground Zero or working, living, or studying in Lower Manhattan on or after 9/11, you have a higher risk of developing respiratory illnesses and 69 different types of cancer resulting from exposure to Ground Zero toxins, including pancreatic cancer.

Barasch & McGarry represents more than 400 members of the 9/11 community who have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

If you are diagnosed with 9/11-related pancreatic cancer, your family medical history and pre-existing conditions will not affect your eligibility for free health care or compensation. The government presumes your cancer was the result of exposure to Ground Zero toxins.

According to a report from the American Cancer Society, an estimated 64,050 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2023.

The major risk factors for pancreatic cancer are age (more common in older adults), gender (men have a higher risk), family history, inherited genetic syndromes, obesity, chronic pancreatitis, smoking tobacco, and exposure to toxic chemicals such as Ground Zero toxins.

Symptoms of pancreatic cancer can include jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin), abdominal pain, weight loss and poor appetite, nausea and vomiting.

If you are a 9/11 first responder or survivor, share this information with your primary health care provider and stay alert to the symptoms.  

If you are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer or any other 9/11-related cancers or respiratory illnesses, we can help you access resources through the free World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program and the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF). 

The health program provides free, comprehensive medical care to 9/11 victims for their 9/11-related illnesses.

The victim fund offers tax-free awards for pain and suffering, lost earnings, and benefits for surviving spouses and family members.

If you were in Lower Manhattan on 9/11 or in the months that followed, you are eligible to register with the 9/11 VCF – even if you are currently healthy. Registering now protects your right to file a claim in the future.

You can enroll in the WTC Health Program if you are diagnosed with a 9/11-related illness.

For the WTC Health Program, the exposure zone includes all of Manhattan below Houston Street and parts of Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO in Brooklyn.

For the 9/11 VCF, the exposure zone includes the area of Manhattan south of Canal Street and west of Clinton Street.

Barasch & McGarry, Lawyers for the 9/11 Community, represents more than 30,000 members of the 9/11 community.

Visit 911victims.com or call 212-385-8000 today.