Iconic 9/11 image: ‘Dust lady’ Marcy Borders dies of stomach cancer at 42

Marcy Borders, who was pictured covered in dust fleeing the World Trade Center in 2001, was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 — she claimed it was caused from inhaling toxic air from the attack. She died Monday at age 42, her family said. The photo, taken by Agence France-Presse photographer Stan Honda, emerged as one of the iconic images from the Sept. 11 attacks, in which 2,900 people were killed. Until her identity was verified, Borders became known as the ‘dust lady’ after the attack, when Honda snapped the photo of the mother of two covered in thick, sepia-colored 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

Borders had started a new job as a Bank of America legal assistant on the 81st floor just one month before the attack. She had arrived late that morning. After fleeing the building covered in dust, she was grabbed by a man who led her to safety. In 2011, she told the New York Post that her life had spiraled out of control after the attacks.

I didn’t do a day’s work in nearly 10 years. By 2011, I was a complete mess. Every time I saw an aircraft, I panicked. If I saw a man on a building, I was convinced he was going to shoot me.

Marcy Borders

Health Dust Lady