Marcy Borders: The "Dust Lady"..."Icon"..."Star"...

[circa.] November 1, 2001, The Jersey Journal, 'Dust lady' sells story, Bayonne WTC survivor in National Enquirer, by Steven Kalcanides, journal staff writer, [First archive.org web crawl January 28, 2002].


A Bayonne woman who narrowly escaped from the 81st floor of the World Trade Center's Tower 1 sold her story to the National Enquirer for an undisclosed amount and is donating some of the proceeds toward a Halloween party for local children today.

The money Borders received was more like a stipend, barely enough to pay one month's rent, a food bill, cable bill and one or two other bills, mag says Marcy Borders, who lives at the Bergen Point Gardens public housing complex on Avenue C, is featured on pages 26 and 27 of the Nov. 6 publication, which is on newsstands now. The National Enquirer pursued the feature article after it was discovered Borders was the famous "dust lady" - the unidentified woman caked in dust and soot while trying to make it to safety on Sept. 11 whose photo appeared in magazines, newspapers and on television several days following the tragedy.

"I started screaming for help. Out of nowhere a man grabbed my arm and began leading me," the 28-year-old single mom said in the article. "He led me toward a building to get shelter inside. That had to be when the photograph was taken."

Tom DiNardo, the National Enquirer reporter who retold Borders' tale of survival, said the woman is "giving what little she made toward the children of the community." But the controversial practice of selling stories to the media has long been frowned upon by certain members of news organizations.

DiNardo, however, said the publication paid Borders a "very, very small amount" for her story, without going into detail. He added that Borders is under "exclusive" contract with the paper, and cannot talk about her story until around the first week of November, when the embargo on publication placed on her comes to an end.

"We gave her money to guarantee the exclusivity of the story, but nothing that would make her rich," he said.

Regardless, Borders' haunting story is a tale of a mother who swallowed her fear and struggled to make it home to her daughter.

"’I've got to get out of this building!' I thought. ‘I've got an 8year-old daughter who needs me. I've got to go home!' "Borders recalled in the publication.

Borders had only worked for one month at Bank of America in Tower 1 and was late for work that day at the doomed tower when she finally arrived at her desk. When one of the two hijacked jets struck the tower, she said she felt it lurch underneath her and began to scream.

'Marcy, get out of this building,' I told myself. People were advising me to stay seated. Three guys said they were going into the bank's vault for safety. There were many different exits and nobody was sure where to go or what to do," she says in the publication.

She made it to an exit and began her ordeal to get out of the building before it eventually came crashing down, killing thousands including more than 300 firefighters, police and EMS people on the ground with it.

Borders said she slowly made her way down the stairs in the tower and watched as firefighters tried to find survivors by chopping down metal doors with their axes.

"I saw people coming down the metal, people with glass in their bodies and people with their scalps burned off," she told the reporter.
Borders said she asked God what to do to escape the disaster, knowing that her daughter depended on her.

It took more than an hour to reach the ground floor, which seemed like "forever," she told the publication. While trying to head toward the trains located under the tower, Borders said she fell, cutting herself on broken glass and landing in pools of water.

"Two guys grabbed me and dragged me outside," she said. ". . . Suddenly firemen raced toward us screaming, 'RUN! DON'T LOOK BACK! RUN!'"

Tower 2 began collapsing in front of her eyes as she was being helped by a priest at the scene. The dust cloud and debris storm from the doomed tower engulfed her and others.

"I tried to run faster, but suddenly everything turned pitch black. The choking dust cloud slammed into me," she said, adding that the blast knocked her onto the ground, covering her in smoke, dust and rubble.

Borders said when she got home, her daughter was traumatized by what she saw. For two weeks after the event, Borders said she would not leave her apartment and she said she is still troubled by the ordeal.

She lost her job, she told the publication, because she won't go into Manhattan, and her mother had to help pay her rent for October. Her daughter, Noelle, is staying with another family member, she said.

"I used to tell my daughter I was tough," she said. "But that picture of me in magazines scares her. She knows now that the world isn't safe."

DiNardo, a Jersey City native and resident, said the money Borders received for her story was more like a stipend, barely enough to pay one month's rent, a food bill, cable bill and one or two other bills.

"We have spent millions to maintain the sort of network we have. Marcy probably was on the low end of that," he said. "She took what little money we gave her and did an incredible act of charity by putting it into this event for children."

DiNardo, who works in the New York office of the National Enquirer, interviewed the woman at her home in Bayonne.

"We had been putting out feelers to find her and she was trying to find us. We were both searching, and we came to find one another," he said.

DiNardo first became interested in the story when he saw Borders in the photo, which appeared in a special magazine, "The Day That Changed America," which was published by Florida-based American Media Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer. Borders, who was not identified at the time, was pictured on page 85.

The photo, said DiNardo, was taken by AFP, a news agency, and its photographer was not identified either.

DiNardo, who has worked for the Enquirer since April 2000, said he wanted to know who was that anonymous, soot-covered woman, and what story she had to tell the world.

"To me, her terrified image is a haunting reminder of the tragic velocity of Sept. 11," he said. "She was a working class professional emerging from this inferno."

He says the reaction to Borders' story has been overwhelming. The publication has 14 million readers, he said.

"Her scary account is a horrible statement of the inability of relief agencies to reach survivors of the catastrophe. Regardless of what we've heard about millions of dollars in relief money, she has not gotten one red cent to aid her for her pain and suffering," he said.

Still, John O'Brien, executive director of the New Jersey Press Association in West Trenton, has reservations about the veracity of stories that have been bought.


He said there is no way to tell if the information is true or if the person being paid is just telling the media what they think they want to hear.


"Newspapers here don't want to touch that with a 10-foot pole," he said of the association, which lists the 19 daily papers in the state and more than 170 weeklies as members of the organization.


"We really never come in contact with that because all of our member newspapers are legitimate newspapers that do not pay for news stories," he added.

Borders had originally contacted The Jersey Journal about her story and had agreed to meet with a reporter. However, she told the Journal staffer she had to "protect her own interests and had to talk with her attorney" before the meeting could actually take place. She later canceled the appointment and appeared in the Enquirer article a short time later.

The Jersey Journal, which belongs to the NJPA, does not pay for stories.

Story proceeds go for party

A portion of the proceeds Marcy Borders received for her story to the National Enquirer was donated to organize a Halloween party today in Bayonne from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 92 W. 20th St., for costume-clad youngsters. The Elks have donated the hall for the affair, and a local DJ has volunteered to spin music. Other members of the community are contributing food and beverages for the event, said organizers.

In addition to Borders, Danny Musico, 33, a boxing champ, is also slated to attend the event today at 4 p.m.

Musico, a world super middleweight champion for the International Boxing Council, has appeared as a detective on the TV show, "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" and was the United States Boxing Association champ from 1997 to 1998. Musico is originally from Nutley and West Patterson.

---

[circa.] November 1, 2001, The Jersey Journal, 'Dust lady' named champ at her party, by Steven Kalcanides, journal staff writer,

Danny Musico, a champ with the International Boxing Council, placed his super middleweight championship belt around the waist of Marcy Borders yesterday, calling her a true champion.

Borders, 28, the Bayonne woman who recently recounted her harrowing Sept. 11 escape from the 81st floor of the World Trade Center in the National Enquirer, and Musico were at a kids' Halloween party at the Elks Lodge in Bayonne.

The National Enquirer pursued the feature article after it was discovered that Borders was the famous "dust lady" - the unidentified woman caked in dust and soot in a photo that appeared in magazines and newspapers and on television several days following the tragedy.

Borders was given $1,000 by the publication to guarantee the exclusivity of her story and did not ask for payment, according to a representative of the Enquirer who were concerned yesterday that people might mistakenly believe she was cashing in on the national tragedy.

But yesterday, the single mom dressed as a witch and ran the Halloween party - teaching children dance steps, handing out food and napkins and making sure her neighbor Patricia Bozzone played the role of the grim reaper to a "T."

Bozzone - her head covered - sat in a chair against the wall, fake ax in hand, and leapt up from her seat each time a child walked by, all in fun.

"I'm giving back to the kids because I don't want them trick-or-treating. I don't think that's safe at this time in the United States," Borders said, as she took a short break.

Borders used a portion of the money she received from the Enquirer to help sponsor the party. However, when the paper found out about her generosity, it decided to reimburse her for the expenses.

"The Enquirer is going to reimburse her for the party, whether it's $300 or $500," Levine said. "We are going to give her a separate payment. I think what she is doing is absolutely a wonderful thing for her community."

Some 100 children and their parents were invited to attend the party, which ran from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Elks Lodge on 20th Street.

Costumed children paraded around as ninjas, Scooby-Doo, Dalmatians, soldiers, gladiators, princesses and babies, among other characters.

"I'm proud of her," said Borders' uncle, Michael Middleton. "I've been around her all her life. She's always had a good heart. She is the type of person who believes in sharing with others."

Ada Caldero, who attended the party with five of her children, said she thought the gathering was a great idea.

"We have to support her because she went through hell and back with her ordeal," said Caldero, who lost her home several months ago in a fire in Bayonne and is now trying to settle into a new home.

Borders' mom, Ruby, thought the party would help lift her daughter's spirits.

"I'm really happy about what she's doing today. It's really making her feel better, because she's been depressed lately. She comes to my house and looks at my mail before I can touch it," she explained.

When Musico walked into the room, cheers erupted. The boxing champ autographed photos of himself and posed for pictures with Borders, who was wearing his belt.

"This is all about her," he said. "She should be acknowledged."

In addition to the contribution by Borders, the Elks donated the hall for yesterday's affair, and a local DJ volunteered to spin music. Other members of the community contributed food and beverages for the event.

Borders, who is supporting her 8-year-old daughter, Noelle, told the Enquirer she has been too traumatized to go back into Manhattan and has lost her job at the Bank of America. Bank officials yesterday could not give her present status with the firm.

Levine, meanwhile, said the amount paid to Borders was solely to guarantee exclusivity because the weekly Enquirer has "lock up" stories before competitors can get the story as well. "We make no bones about it that we practice checkbook journalism, but it is primarily for exclusivity," he said of the controversial practice.

Bayonne Housing Authority officials noted yesterday that the American Red Cross covered Borders' rent for October; Ruby Borders pitched in to help pay the rent for September.

---

September 3, 2006, 60 Minutes, Return to Ground Zero,
7:30 PM Sunday,

Reporter: Liz Hayes
Producers: Lincoln Howes, Julia Timms
It may have sounded like an over-statement but it's turned out to be true. The world really did change forever that day in September 2001.
And not only in the obvious ways — the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, the war on terror.
In many subtle ways, all our lives have been affected. So what must these last five years have been like for those who were actually there? Those who survived 9/11.

Transcript

JAMES DORNEY: I can still visualise what I saw that day, the explosion of the north tower which happened right in front of my face. The memories that I have are still strong. Probably not a day passes where I don't think about what happened that day. This is pretty much where I came out of the building and there was stuff falling from above, the two towers were burning. There were body parts all over the road. I mean, not nice memories but that's what we saw. That's the street that I went up and pretty much came out of the buildings here and turned around and had no idea what was going on.

LIZ HAYES: Returning to Ground Zero is very difficult for James Dorney.

JAMES DORNEY: My friends whose names are up there ... I reckon they would be glad I came back. I said if I start crying, I might never stop, so I'll just make sure I don't.

LIZ HAYES: On September 11, 2001, he was a young Australian banker working on the 92nd floor of the south tower in the World Trade Center. He was at his desk when the first plane hit the tower next door and was in a stairwell trying to get out when the second plane ploughed into his building. Two hundred of his workmates perished that day.

JAMES DORNEY: I do realise that the odds were against me and I was faced with many choices that day and I somehow … I'd have to say I made all of the right choices and that was very lucky, because I don't think I would be here talking to you if I hadn't made some of those choices.

LIZ HAYES: Nearly 3000 people died that day in an area covering just a couple of city blocks. I've been to New York and seen this huge gap in the skyline many times since, but I still struggle to comprehend the enormity of it all and what it must have been like for those who were there. The people of New York are still recovering. But it's clear they're now asking a lot of questions, not the least being whether or not this could happen again.

LOUIS CACCHIOLI: I'm still bitter, I'm still bitter. I want some answers and I can't find some answers.

LIZ HAYES: Louis Cacchioli was a fireman and like many of the survivors of September 11, he's disillusioned.

LOUIS CACCHIOLI: They're not doing their jobs. Somebody dropped the ball here, okay, and it's time for us to wake up. We're at war, okay. This is not a game of chess, this is war we're at, okay. And there's lives involved, okay, and it's time for us to wake up.

LIZ HAYES: Louis was a firefighter of some 20 years experience. On the day of the attack, he raced into the first tower and helped evacuate panicked workers inside. He got out only to be buried in rubble as the second tower collapsed. Louis survived, but that day, 343 of his colleagues did not. When you look at these faces, many emotions I imagine?

LOUIS CACCHIOLI: Absolutely. When I look at this, I wonder. I should have been up there.

LIZ HAYES: Five years on, Louis is retired and suffers lung and eye damage as well as post-traumatic stress. And he lives with the fear that it could happen again.

LOUIS CACCHIOLI: Everywhere you go … you go into a subway, you go into a tunnel, you go on a plane, okay, everybody's got that fear in them, is something going to happen today, you know?

LIZ HAYES: We've now been waging a war on terror since September 2001, the results of which so far seem to offer little encouragement.

MICHAEL SCHEUER: From my perspective, I think the world we're living in now is really one ... that the enemy has a much surer grip on reality than we do.

LIZ HAYES: For 22 years, Michael Scheuer worked for the CIA, and was on the hunt for Osama bin Laden long before the attacks on the twin towers. Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, he says, are a focused and formidable enemy.

MICHAEL SCHEUER: They have a very firm grip on what they're mad at, what they're going to do about it and why they're going to do it.

LIZ HAYES: And we don't?

MICHAEL SCHEUER: We have none. From your Prime Minister to the Prime Minister of Britain to the President of the United States to the leader of the Democratic Party, they have not a clue about what they're going to do. Every one of these men, when something happens, say we're going to arrest them one man at a time. We'll bring them to justice. Well, that sounds good, but it should be, five years after 9/11, apparently that it is an impossible task.

LIZ HAYES: There have now been 23 major terrorist attacks since September 11, among them the two Bali bombings that claimed 220 lives, Spain with 190 dead, and the London blasts which killed 50 commuters. And all of these have been influenced by one man. Bin Laden was the face of the enemy. Is he still the face of the enemy?

MICHAEL SCHEUER: I think he is still the face of the enemy. He's a remarkable man … I catch a lot of flak, but in many ways, he's a great man in the sense that he's effected history.

LIZ HAYES: You see, people would find it shocking to hear you say that he's a great man?

MICHAEL SCHEUER: He's a man that has to be understood and respected — not because he's a good guy or because we should be empathic, but the better you can understand someone, the better you can annihilate them if you need to.

PASQUALE BUZELLI: He needs to be captured.

LIZ HAYES: Why do you need to capture him if you know that capturing him is not going to change anything?

PASQUALE BUZELLI: Because he's the face that tried to kill me that day.

LIZ HAYES: Pasquale Buzelli, an engineer, was working on the 64th floor of the north tower when the first plane hit.

PASQUALE BUZELLI: He tried to kill me, basically. I'm not a soldier, I'm a civilian. I know there's a much bigger picture, a much more political picture and everything, but to me, that would be a tremendous satisfaction to know that we can go out there and get him.

LIZ HAYES: Pasquale's story is one of the most remarkable to emerge from September 11. He was in a stairwell when the entire north tower collapsed, bringing with it more than one million tonnes of concrete and steel. Somehow Pasquale survived, landing in the mountain of rubble below. Unconscious for three hours, he was finally rescued — one of only 20 people found alive in the ruins. We first met him not long after the tragedy.

PASQUALE BUZELLI: I never thought I'd make it out of there. I actually said to myself in that split second, "I can't believe that this is how I'm going to die. This is it."

LIZ HAYES: Since 9/11, Pasquale and his wife, Louise, have had two children — Hope and Mia. But their joy at being parents is tempered by fear of what the future holds.

PASQUALE BUZELLI: Now you're thinking, well you want, you know, just some explanation of why things happened, and why did it happen? Why did this person try to kill me and why is it still going on in the word and it's not stopping? There's no answers — that's the problem I have. And I've come to the realisation that there probably won't be any closure to it, you know and that's — you kind of go on and you accept that there's a different way of life now.

LIZ HAYES: One of the indelible images of September 11 was this photo of Marcy Borders emerging, covered in dust, from the carnage. It came to symbolise the twin towers tragedy. When we met Marcy six months after the attacks, she was an emotional wreck, still traumatised, having escaped from the 81st floor of the south tower. The tears have subsided but Marcy's world has barely changed.

MARCY BORDERS: I haven't done much. Still not working, still haven't been back to New York. I don't know, I just sit at home ... like, it was like slowly just killing me, just, you know, the way I was trying to regroup and get over it. But I'm trying a new path and I feel better.

LIZ HAYES: All of the survivors I've spoken to, all say the same thing — they want answers.

MARCY BORDERS: Yeah, but we're the little people — we don't get answers. I've written to the White House.

LIZ HAYES: You've written to George Bush?

MARCY BORDERS: Yeah, and his response was 'go sign up for welfare'.

LIZ HAYES: What did you say in your letter?

MARCY BORDERS: Never experienced in a terrorist situation, how does one get over this? What does one do? What is the next step, you know. He didn't give me any answers.

LIZ HAYES: Have you still got the clothes?

MARCY BORDERS: Yes.

LIZ HAYES: Why do you keep them?

MARCY BORDERS: I keep them because that outfit was the outfit of the last day and the first day of my life, you know.

LIZ HAYES: Louis Cacchioli also kept the clothes he wore that day.

LOUIS CACCHIOLI: Still in my garage and I look at it almost every day.

LIZ HAYES: What does that suit represent to you?

LOUIS CACCHIOLI: It represents my whole life, what I did, my career, and also it's stained. It's got blood stain on it from ... For the numerous days that I was down there digging. I'm sorry.

LIZ HAYES: The horror of the September 11 attacks has robbed so much from all of its victims. None will ever be the same. And five years on, few would argue the world is a safer place. Another attack is likely.

MICHAEL SCHEUER: Yes, and I think the reason we haven't seen one yet is simply because they're not ready to do it.

LIZ HAYES: Oh, okay. So we haven't stopped them — they're just not ready yet?

MICHAEL SCHEUER: I don't think they're ready and I also think, from their view, they don't need to be in any hurry.

LIZ HAYES: It seems you're saying we have good reason to be frightened?

MICHAEL SCHEUER: We have a very good reason to be frightened, yes. We face a very, very talented man at the head of a movement that is increasing in strength and geographical reach and anger.

JAMES DORNEY: I love the city, but it holds some terrible memories. But I think it's something that it's probably good that I've done to come back again after five years and hopefully put one or two more demons to rest.

LIZ HAYES: Like all those at Ground Zero on September 11, James Dorney was a witness to the day the world changed. At times, coming to terms with what happened has been hard, but James refuses to surrender any more of his life — that, he says, would be giving too much to the terrorists.

JAMES DORNEY: I think it is important to not allow ourselves to become victims of it. And it's with a certain sense of pride that I do still fly and I do still go up tall buildings and I won't let it worry me.

LIZ HAYES: Life is good now?

JAMES DORNEY: Yeah, it's, uh — I'm doing okay. I'm doing okay.

---

The View - Marcy Borders Relives 9-11,



September 7, 2011

Marcy Borders aka The Dust Lady, stops by to discuss her life post 9/11!

[Chyron: The View Marcy Borders Became Addicted to Drugs After Surviving 9/11]

Well, the tenth anniversary of 9/11 is this Sunday, as we know, and one of the most iconic images of that day is of a survivor named Marcy Borders. She was in the North Tower when the plane hit and the carnage and destruction that she witnessed while escaping, left her devastated, and over the years she numbed her fears with alcohol and drugs, but today she is hear to tell us how she finally triumphed over terror. We're very happy to welcome Marcy Borders.

[applause]

So Marcy, you had just started working at a bank in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. When did you first realize that something was terribly wrong?

Um, I was at the copy machine, and then you just heard this, like, loud bang, and then a whoosh sound, and then the building started shaking back and forth, so I knew, this is not everyday activity. So, um, that's when I thought immediately, like, we were at war.

Your boss actually told everyone to remain at their desks and stay calm, correct, but you decided---no. Your instincts told you otherwise.

Yes, um, because, only being there a month, I'd never experienced the fire drill, or terrorist drill, so, you know, the idea is to go around to the bank vault and wait for the fire marshals to show up, make sure everything is OK, but me never experiencing that, whoosh, you know---gotta go...

So you went against the boss.

Yes

So, I'm curious, what went on in your head at that moment?

Um, I just thought we are at war

You knew it?

Yeah.

So, yeah. But others did not move, right?

Well, they experienced it in 96, so I guess they just figured it was

93, yeah.

Oh, 93? yeah..

Describe that picture. What were you doing?

I was asking God, what do I do? You know and I remember it clearly, I just don't remember it being taken, but I remember God what do I do? I remember asking Him what...

Did you get an answer?

Um, run, very fast.

Ah! OK. and so minutes after you left that building, one of the towers had fallen. So when you finally, when you made it to the street, what did you see?

Um, it was, oh, it was worse off out there because it was like, um, bombs went off the ground, fallen debris, you know, in the stairwells, all I saw was little cracks, you know. So it was worse off out there.

Let's talk about what happened to you afterwards, and that is that, your life got out of control. This was such a terrifying experience. You started to use alcohol, you started to use crack, you lost custody of your daughter and son. How did you turn it around?
And, by the way, do you have custody of them now?

They're beautiful...they're beautiful..

Yes, um, first and foremost, I want to give honor to God who's head of my life, because, um, without Him this thing would have been impossible. Um, you know, me never experiencing a situation like this, I was never prepped or prepared, so you know, um, my drinking led from days, and that led to weeks, and that led to months and then that still wasn't allowing me to sleep at night, so I resorted to using drugs, I mean, the last year and a half, I mean, I basically was just...trying to end this thing the easiest way possible, and, um,

But you didn't work for ten years. How did you support yourself?

Um, the grace of God, um, you know, my family, my mom, she's...

So then, what, what, you've now been clean for how long?

Um, I'm going to say a hundred and forty-five days, and they have

And do you have your children now?

Yes. And the difference that's made in my life was because, it was one thing, when this mess in my life was on me, but when my mess started spilling over into my children's lives, that's when I knew, you know,...

And you know have custody..is it Zeeden your three-year-old son, and also Noelle, your daughter, who just graduated from high-school, who is here with us today.

Hi.

It's an honor to have you here

When Osama bin Laden was killed, was that the turning point for you? This is what we heard.

Well, ah, I was away in treatment, so not only was God fixing me up, He was also taking care of my biggest fear, so, you know---two stones, you know, one stone-.

What is your biggest fear?

Osama bin Laden. So, he was taken care of while I..

That he was coming back? Was that your fear?

Um..

That it was going to happen again?

Um...just never catching him, so, um, you just didn't know.

---

March 11, 2002, CNN Newsnight, Aaron Brown, America Remembers 9/11; Twin Beams of Light Memorialize the World Trade Center,

AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, again. I'm Aaron Brown. We're back on the roof of the CNN bureau here in New York. Behind us, you can see the two spotlights that were lit tonight. Two lights that mark where the World Trade Center was and to mark the sixth anniversary of the tragedy, the terrorist act that brought them down.

Six months is not very long but it is long enough for the sharpness of the pain of September 11th to be replaced by a dull but constant ache of what happened and what was lost. Time, even six months, offers us perspective. We can see some things more clearly. But for good or ill, perhaps both, time makes it easier or possible even to forget the worst and move on.

This program tonight is not the program we generally do here. No whip tonight. No headlines. Not much news of day really. It is not about the big issues. Not about public policy or war plans. Not about polls and politics and popularity ratings. It is about people we've met. Lives that have been changed. Struggles that go on each day. It is about what time has changed and what it can't.

Over the next hour and we hope you will stay with us to the very end of it, which will be a reading by the Actress Mary Tyler Moore and it is about as powerful a piece as we have ever seen or aired but the hour is short on the big picture as we said and long on the little pieces that make the big picture come alive. The firemen in Brooklyn. You will laugh with them and cry with them. We'll take you to one of the poorest places in our country to make the point that no place, not one, was spared the tragedy of 9/11. It is not a maudlin trip we take tonight but it's not an easy ride either.

And begins with two people you will recognize though you won't know their names. Both were captured by still photographers in those first hours or so after the plane struck. Their images were frozen in time but their lives were not. There's Jon McGuire (ph) one of the men who helped carry out the body of Father Michael Judge, the fire department chaplain. John was at the head of the line. The one non- firefighter in the shot. The photographer here was Shannon Staple (ph) of the Routers (ph) News Agency. And then there's the woman known to many simply as the dust lady. She has a name, of course, Marcy Borders, an image caught by freelance photographer Stan Honda. A picture he sold to Newsweek Magazine and we begin with Marcy's story.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MARCY BORDERS: It was like 8:40. And it was just the beginning of the day like right before my computer was turned on. You knew that something is going on because every other floor underneath you is trying to get on the stairwell at the same time. That's when it just caught me; the debris and it just like threw me on all fours and like buried me.

BROWN: You can't hear the chaos but it's there as is the panic. All of it wrapped in a nearly golden glow covered in smoke and soot. The photographer taken. Marcy Borders, 9/11 frozen in time.

She is 28 from Bayo (ph), New Jersey, the mother of a nine-year- old daughter, a former legal assistant for the Bank of America once headquartered on the 81st floor of the North Tower. After she escaped from the tower that morning there was a brief chance encounter with a photographer.

BORDERS: I mean, it wasn't like - it was one of the best images you would want to view out in the world, you know. It's not like, you know, just looking at it just shows like how much fear, like, you know.

BROWN: The fear since 9/11 has never left. Six months has changed nothing. Her refuge is her two-bedroom home. And across the water from Bayo (ph), a distant view lies lower Manhattan. Marcy Borders has not gone back to work nor has she returned even once to the city. She is a prisoner of September 11th.

BORDERS: I'm still on 9/11. I can't get it out of my head and I wish, oh, Lord I just wish I could just have a piece of mind - like, you know, like my brain is so packed, you know what I'm saying? I tell people; they're like what's wrong. I'm like I just got so much on my brain. Like you know, they don't understand that. It's not them or - and I know everybody has life situations. There's some people who wake up with no cure to their disease but at the same time I just have a lot of my brain and I have never had so much on my brain.

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June 15, 2011, The Jersey Journal, Bayonne 9/11 survivor, 'dust lady' rises from ashes after hitting rock-bottom: report
Updated: Wednesday, June 15, 2011, 10:37 AM

The Tale of Marcy Borders



Thanks to rehab and the death of Osama bin Laden, Bayonne resident and 9/11 survivor Marcy Borders has finally risen from the ashes, the New York Post reports.

Since a photographer snapped her terrified and covered in dust after the World Trade Center attacks, Borders battled severe depression, became addicted to crack and saw her two children taken from her, the Post says.

She told the Post that she managed to pull herself together after hitting rock bottom by checking into rehab and getting better, adding that she finally has her family and kids back.

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