John Feal

Email: Feal13@aol.com

After the terrorist attacks of September, 11th 2001, 34 year-old demolition supervisor John Feal joined the army of blue-collar workers converging on the smoldering wreckage of the World Trade Center for the largest recovery operation in American history. Feal, like countless others, raced into the toxic cloud at the ruins of the WTC, unknowingly inhaling a toxic stew of asbestos, dioxins, benzene, lead, mercury, powdered glass, and more than 2,000 other deadly toxins. On September 17, John was horribly injured when his foot was crushed by an eight-ton steel beam during the frenzied, dangerous cleanup.

Soon after 9/11, John Feal (a US Army veteran) started experiencing serious respiratory problems, a condition they now call "The World Trade Center Cough." He spent two months in the hospital while he battled with a host of health problems. Because of an arbitrary exclusion in the law, Feal, like many search and rescue workers who were injured during a two-week window at Ground Zero did not qualify for the 9/11 relief fund. Like thousands of others, John risked his own life to save others, but when he became sick and injured, he was abandoned and forgotten.

Today, his organization, the FealGood Foundation, has grown into one of the most prominent advocate for 9/11 responders. Their fund raising efforts have helped countless families with financial and medical assistance.

On August 30, 2007, John Feal participated in a triple kidney transplant at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, where his kidney was donated. On February 16, 2008, John Feal and his organization successfully hosted a fund raising event to raise awareness for the organ donation needs of the ailing 9/11 responders.

In recognition for his work, John Feal was chosen by 107 living Congressional Honor recipients as the finalist from New York State to be the recipient of the Above and Beyond Citizen Honors for the year 2008. This is the highest civilian award presented by the 107 living Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.

Public Activism

Since 2003, John has acted as a leading advocate for 9/11 heroes who where denied both the benefits promised by the federal, state, local governmental and the charitable aid collected on their behalf. He has worked closely with all of New York’s state, local and federal representatives to help these men and woman. John spoke on the issue of 9/11 workers before a US Congressional committee in June 2005 and at numerous public gatherings alongside our nation’s top political leaders. John is also a former board member of Unsung Heroes Helping Heroes, a not-for-profit raising awareness of the plight of 9/11 responders. In addition to assisting 9/11 workers as a whole, John has been active helping Ground Zero workers on an individual basis with administrative issues and by helping first responders get media coverage.

On February 26, 2008, the FealGood Foundation and 9/11 Health Now

Legislative Action

John is also fighting for greater awareness of the “World Trade Center Diseases”—an emerging public health nightmare of epic proportions. John Feal has worked extensively with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Congressman Jerrold Nadler in calling for an investigation of the EPA's failure to carry out proper testing and cleanup of 9/11 pollution.

Most notably, John was instrumental in lobbying Congress for the passage of the Walsh Amendment, which set aside $125 million of unspent 9/11 money in December 2005 to help New York State residents with current and future 9/11-related health expenses. While it will help cover medical screening and treatment, the money will only meet a fraction of the first responders' needs. Because of the massive needs still unmet, John continues to advocate for legislative action at all levels of the political spectrum.

On February 26, 2008, an important rally in Washington D.C. was jointly organized by FealGood Foundation and 9/11 Health Now, where John Feal shared the microphone along with the supporting members of Congress calling for the passage of the "James Zadroga Bill" (The 9/11 Health and Compensation Act) and to demand proper healthcare for 9/11 responders. John Feal and his supporters protested the proposed 77% budget cut for 9/11 Healthcare Funding.

Press Coverage

John Feal has been prominently featured in two documentaries: Robert Greenwald’s Sierra Club Chronicles 9/11 Forgotten Heroes; and in Heidi Dehncke-Fisher’s Dust to Dust: The Health Effects of 9/11. John has also been interviewed by CNN, Good Morning America, Fox Network, Star Jones, Win1010 News, News 12 Networks, Air America Radio, Nightline, NBC News, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Eyewitness News, the New York Daily News, the NY Post, New York Newsday, and countless other media in print and on the internet.

John also received recognition by the movie director, Michael Moore, for his role in assisting the making of Michael Moore's acclaimed movie, the "Sicko".

As one of the Ground Zero movement’s most passionate and informed spokespersons, he is highly sought after by the print and broadcast media.

Anne Marie Baumann

Email: Ar1cb2@aol.com

Mother of two beautiful children ages 13, and 11. Married 20 years to Christopher Baumann, a NYC police officer. My husband was injured on 9/11/2001 at the World Trade Center with physical, and psychological injuries. Our lives have changed so much in the past 5 years with my husbands health just falling apart. I have taken this position as Senior Vice President for the FealGood Foundation because it is something that I believe in, and I know that there are so many of us out there still hurting from the fallout of 9/11. No one understands the impact, and what every family has gone through and still goes through every day of their lives. Its time to make a difference! It's not something that you can just get over. The FealGood Foundation will make a difference because they all care".

Sean Riordan

Email: SeanR@brecherfishman.com

An associate at Brecher Fishman Pasternack Heller Walsh & Tilker, Mr. Riordan has represented hundreds of 9/11 victims in their pursuit of disability benefits. Representing claimants before the Social Security Administration, New York State Workers’ Compensation Board and various New York City and New York State Retirement Systems, Mr. Riordan and the law firm have been instrumental in securing continued benefits for workers.

“Thousands of men and women, including laborers, police officers, firemen and volunteers, sacrificed their own health and well being for the betterment of this city and nation. Despite these selfless acts of heroism, responders currently lack proper medical coverage and many face economic destitution because of their disabilities. We must ensure that these 9/11 workers and volunteers file for and receive those benefits that they are entitled to and continue to lobby for more extensive benefits in the future.”

A graduate of St. John’s University School of Law in 2005, Sean has already been named to Marquis’ Who’s Who in American Law 2007-2008 edition and is an adjunct professor at Molloy College, teaching The Philosophy of Law. Mr. Riordan also is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America; American Bar Association; New York State Bar Association; New York County Lawyers Association; Nassau County Brehon Law Society and The Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Long Island. Mr. Riordan also sits on the board of directors for the Irish Cultural Centre of Long Island and Great Hunger Memorial.

If you have any questions regarding disability benefits please feel free to contact Sean @ 516-742-3773, ext. 1747 or at seanr@brecherfishman.com

Joe Miccoli

Email: Jmiccoli@fealgood.com

Joe Miccoli, was born and raised in New York and worked for the New York City Fire Department. Heavily involved in the events of 11 September 2001 for many months, he became ill after exposure to the toxins and was forced to retire. Currently a student a Saint Johns University in the Physician Assistant Program, Joe seeks to be involved in both the hands on treatment of ill first responders as well as helping to raise awareness and funds through the charity. You can contact Joe Miccoli at jmiccoli@fealgood.com

Alan Forcier

Email: Aronkonkoma@aol.coml

Alan Forcier will be leaving us on August 30, 2008 for health reasons. We wish to thank Alan for all the work he has done for our organization and wish him well. We will certainly miss him.

Frank Andrea

A partner with the Andrea & Towsky law firm located in Garden City, NY.

Villanova University - BSBA - 1978; Delaware Law School - JD - 1981; New York State Bar Association; New York State Trial Lawyers Association; American Trial Lawyers Association; Nassau County Bar Association; United States Federal Court (Southern & Eastern Districts of New York).

Dan Moynihan

Email: Dan@danielmoynihan.com

I knew I always wanted to be a firefighter and joined the Explorer division of the Freeport Fire Department, Freeport New York at age 14. At age 18 I joined the Marine Corps and spent the next four years with Charlie Company, 2^nd Combat Engineers, 2^nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. I received my honorable discharge with the rank of corporal (E-4). I then returned to the Freeport Volunteer Fire Department with Engine Company 1. I had role models the likes of Richard Muldowney Jr. (L7), Dave Weiss (R1), Timmy Higgins (SOC), all of whom were friends of mine since I was 14, members of Freeport, and all of whom gave all on September 11^th.

On the 11^th I was working in the city and believe it or not unaware of what was going on until both towers had been hit. When I found out I hopped on the N train at 59^th street to get downtown, not knowing it would take an hour to do so. The trains were all emptying out at 14^th street and backed up in the tunnels, creeping along at an agonizingly slow pace. When the doors finally opened at 14^th streets I got above ground and across town to 7^th avenue. I looked downtown past Varick Street and all I saw was smoke and dust, my view was blocked. I hopped in the back of a Verizon pick up truck with a few other guys and headed downtown. We were dropped off at Murray and West Broadway at about 10:45 am; this is when I realized the buildings had collapsed. They had both come down while I was in the subway and then while I was on the way across town. I stood there for a minute and tried to figure out who I knew who was working that day, said a quick prayer, then my mind shut down and my brain took over and I went to work. It was about 11:00 in the morning but it could have been 11:00 at night. You could see about 30 feet overhead and that was it. I remember the silence, all sound was muffled by the dust, papers were swirling all around and West Broadway was lined with cars, EMS busses, police cars and fire trucks crushed and burning. We started stretching lines down West Broadway and putting fires out and doing searches. That was how it started and we just kept going. I was lucky enough to get a dust mask and gloves, we got water wherever we could find it. I slept in offices in the American Express building a couple of nights, then a friend’s apartment in Harlem. After a while another friend’s super put me up in a vacant apartment in Chelsea. I still slept a lot at the site, St. Paul’s Chapel was an oasis for me and many people. We did find a couple of people and got them out of there, I hope they had the same luck all over the place. Later that day we had to pull back and wait for 7 WTC to collapse, which it finally did, then we went back to work. The following days were filled with a lot of hope, hoping to find people alive. The weeks that followed were filled with hope of bringing remains home to families for closure. I lost some friends and many acquaintances that day along with a lot of people. Timmy Higgins was brought home, Richie Muldowny’s remains were identified just a year ago. My final day at the sight was on the eve of Dave Weiss’s memorial.

I started out with “the cough.” That is now developed a cough so bad that people stare at me on the subway, I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night from coughing so bad.. I can’t walk up stairs or go a couple of blocks without breathing so hard that I need to stop. I have asthma and see a pulmonologist on an ongoing basis. I have never been hospitalized in my life before 2007, I wound up being admitted twice, in July and September of that year. They say cluster headaches are very rare but I had two in the span of three months. They are debilitating, I was on so many pain meds I barely knew my name. After the second one I have been suffering daily chronic headaches since. My neurologist can not explain why and I am still under his care. I have other ongoing issues that I won’t even bother to go into, let’s just say I keep my doctor busy. Between my head and my lungs I am on six daily pills and two daily inhalers. I don’t have so many dreams any more but I do still have trouble sleeping and a lot of anxious nights spent awake.

Charles Giles
Email: eagleman917@verizon.net

Charlie, age 40, is married to his wife Diane and has two teenage daughters Kaitlin and Clarissa. On the morning of 9/11 Charlie was sent to the WTC as Supervisor for a private ambulance service. During the collapse of the second tower, Charlie was rescued by a Port Authority Police Officer. He sustained injuries that to this day plague him severely. He takes over 20 medications and has been hospitalized 15 times since the attacks. He has also endured a Total Hip Replacement & a Knee Reconstruction due to side effects of medications he takes. He worked at Ground Zero both as a paid worker and as a volunteer. Charlie was forced to retire from EMS after 17years of service. Charlie tells everyone his philosophy is “Being A Pioneer of Doing What Is Right”. Charlie undoubtedly will bring his philosophy to the Fealgood Foundation as a Board Member until every 9/11 responder gets what they deserve from the government along with the Dignity & Respect they have been denied.