J.A. Steel

💔 This picture has always gotten to me. Most people know her as “The Dust Lady.” But her name was Marcy Borders. She was only 28 years old when the towers were attacked on September 11, 2001. She was working inside the World Trade Center when everything happened. Somehow, she made it out. And then this picture was taken. Covered from head to toe in dust. Terrified. In shock. Probably not even fully understanding what she had just survived. The picture went around the world. Everybody saw the dust. But what they couldn't see was what Marcy carried with her after that day. 💔 She may have walked out of those towers alive… but September 11 followed her home. For years, she struggled with depression and addiction and with everything she had seen that morning. She once described it like her soul had fallen with the towers. That right there gets me. Because we hear the word “survivor” and think they made it out, so they're okay. But that's not always how surviving works. Sometimes you make it out physically… and part of you is still trapped there. Then in 2014, Marcy was diagnosed with stomach cancer. She believed it came from the toxic dust she breathed in that day. She fought the cancer. She fought the medical bills. She reportedly even struggled at times to afford the medicine she needed. And on August 24, 2015, Marcy Borders died. She was just 42 years old. 42. 💔 She survived the towers falling. But that day never really stopped taking from her. So when you see this picture, don't just remember “The Dust Lady.” Remember her name. Marcy Borders. She was a mother. A daughter. A real person underneath all that dust. And she was one of so many people who survived September 11 only to carry that day with them for the rest of their lives. The smoke cleared. The cameras eventually went away. The rest of the world moved forward. But for people like Marcy, September 11 never really ended. Rest in Peace, Marcy. 🕊️🇺🇸💔 **We all remember the picture. Let's remember the woman in it, too.**