PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Twenty-five years ago, Craig Sotkovsky rushed into the dust and chaos of Ground Zero, compelled to help. Today, he is one of the tens of thousands of first responders, volunteers, and survivors living with the toxic legacy of that day, battling a list of illnesses that includes lung cancer, a collapsed lung, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
This story is part of WPTV's commitment to remembering the events of Sept. 11, 2001, by sharing the stories of those whose lives were forever changed. As the nation marks a quarter-century since the attacks, the ongoing health crisis faced by heroes like Sotkovsky serves as a powerful reminder that for many, 9/11 never ended.
WATCH: 9/11 volunteer with cancer shares story 25 years later
'I needed to get there'
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Sotkovsky watched the towers burn from his home in downtown Jersey City. With a lifetime of experience in construction, he knew he had skills that could be put to use.
"I needed to get there," Sotkovsky said. "I knew it would be better for me to be there than regular people, because I knew my way around construction sites."
The next day, he put on a Tyvek suit and a respirator and went to Ground Zero. For two days, he ran a Bobcat, clearing debris, and worked on the bucket brigades, a human chain passing buckets of debris away from the pile.
'Shoes with things still in it'
The contents of those buckets have haunted him for 25 years. When asked what they were filled with, his answer was chilling.
"Everything you could think of," he said. "Shoes with things still in it, you know, that kind of stuff… It horrified me for a long time."
The physical and psychological toll began to mount over the years. First came bouts of pneumonia and a collapsed lung. Then, in 2017, a more devastating diagnosis.
"I was diagnosed with a tumor in my lung," Sotkovsky said. His list of certified World Trade Center-related conditions now includes lung cancer, Barrett's esophagus, GERD, sleep apnea, and PTSD.
'Growing through pain'
In a cruel twist of irony, Sotkovsky says the healthcare program designed to help him is out of reach.
"I'm in Mexico because I can't afford the free health care from the World Trade Center Health Program," he said.
But rather than focusing on his illness, Sotkovsky has found a new mission. He is creating a documentary called "Growing Through Pain," a cancer and mental health awareness tour to share his journey and help others. To this day, his GoFundMe looks to raise funds for that documentary.
"It took a lot of work, man, a lot of deep, dark work into who I am and who I was and the person that I've become," he said.
He now shares a message of hope for anyone struggling with their own trauma.
"You have devastating days, yes, you have devastating months, even years," Sotkovsky said. "But I'm telling you, you can work through it... you just got to keep moving forward, man."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
