A retired paramedic who helped in the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site was laid to rest (in March, 2006) in the Bronx.
Debbie Reeve, 41, was a paramedic for 17 years. She died of mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer often caused by asbestos.
Reeve’s husband David, also a paramedic, says his wife worked at the Trade Center site morgue right after the 9/11 terror attacks.
David also took part in the recovery effort, and he says they were initially told the air was safe to breathe.
“The first two weeks we were there they didn’t require any respiratory protection at all: no masks were worn because we were told the air quality was okay, said David Reeve.
Fire Commissioner Nicolas Scoppetta has classified Reeve’s death as “administrative line of duty” and says the department will cover up to $25,000 in funeral expenses.
Reeve is survived by her husband and her two children.