Mari S. Shares Her Story for ‘No 9/11 Voice Lost, No 9/11 Voice Unheard’

Our client Mari S. shares her story with us: “On 9/11, I was a police officer with the city of Alexandria, VA, assisting with the Arlington County Police and Fire to the Pentagon. I don’t forget that day at all—the smells, the sounds, any of it. In 2015, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I have never smoked a cigarette and have no history of breast cancer. I had lumpectomies. Then they found invasive cancer in 2018, and I ended up doing a bilateral mastectomy. That was physically really hard as a female.

Getting registered with the Health Program and Victim Compensation Fund was very difficult because my department didn’t have records, but when I was going through the mastectomy, Barasch & McGarry was gracious enough to help me register. The firm has impacted me because it’s a sense of security knowing that someone has my back. It was a horrific day, but I feel this firm really knows their stuff. They call and they check in on me—it’s like having a family member looking out for you. One piece of advice I would give to my peers is to reach out to get help, and hurry up because there is a deadline.”

If you’d like to share your story, please contact us at lindsey@baraschmcgarry.com.