9/11 ‘Dust Lady’ dies of stomach cancer at 42

An American woman that was the subject of an infamous 9/11 photograph has died from cancer. Marcy Borders believed that the terror attack at the World Trade Centre, which she escaped alive, contributed to her illness that followed struggles with addiction and depression. Ms Borders became known as the ‘Dust Lady’ after the attack during which a photographer, Stan Honda, snapped the mother of two covered in thick, sepia coloured debris as she ran for safety.

I’m saying to myself, ‘did this thing ignite cancer cells in me? I definitely believe it because I haven’t had any illnesses. I don’t have high blood pressure…high cholesterol, diabetes.

Marcy Borders told reporters in 2014.

Ms Borders, who family said passed away on Monday, aged just 42, was working as a Bank of America legal assistant on the 81st floor at the time of the infamous attack, which claimed 2,900 lives, but managed to escaped down a stairwell to the street where the iconic photo was taken.

a painful reminder that 13 years later we continue to pay a terrible price for the department’s heroic efforts

New York Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro

Health Dust Lady