Black woman known as "Dust Lady" survived 9/11 attacks – tragically died at 42 from cancer she believed was caused by toxins inhaled that day
We honor the memory of Marcy Borders, the woman famously captured in a 9/11 photograph, who later faced health struggles linked to that tragic day.
🕊️ Millions have seen the photograph. Far fewer know the Black woman behind it.
On September 11, 2001, Marcy Borders was just 28 years old when she escaped the North Tower of the World Trade Center as the attacks unfolded. Covered from head to toe in dust and debris, she was photographed moments after escaping — an image that would become one of the most recognizable photographs from 9/11.
The world came to know her as the “Dust Lady,” but behind that photograph was a woman whose life was deeply affected by what she survived.
Fourteen years later, Marcy died from stomach cancer at just 42 years old. Before her death, she publicly questioned whether her cancer was connected to the toxic dust she inhaled that day.
Today, 25 years after September 11, we remember the woman behind the photograph — Marcy Borders. 🖤🕊️
May she continue to rest in peace.
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