Unsung Heroes Helping Heroes - Responders of 9/11 advocating for others involved.

9/11 EMS Hero Still Coping With Fallout From The Tragedy

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September 8, 2005

It's been four years since the disaster of 9/11, and one local hero is still coping with the fallout of the tragedy. NY1 For You has brought you his story from the beginning, and Susan Jhun filed this update.

As the fourth anniversary of September 11th approaches, retired paramedic Marvin Bethea still feels the effects of that tragic day.

“The mental strain has been tremendous,” he says. “I'm still very emotional.”

The former paramedic for St. John's Hospital was part of the rescue effort on September 11th. Bethea was there when the towers collapsed and risked his life trying to save others.

A month after the attacks, he suffered a stroke while on the job, a condition his doctor attributed to the stress of September 11th.

When NY1 For You first brought you Bethea's story, two months after the tragedy, he was at home, using his sick time and worried his benefits would run out. Back then we spoke with his union, Local 1199, and they agreed to extend his benefits and replace his lost wages.

NY1 also contacted Catholic Charities on Bethea's behalf, and they gave him roughly $8,000 in assistance.

After being honored for his work on 9/11 and returning to the job in May of 2002, the veteran paramedic of 25 years was diagnosed with intrinsic asthma and post traumatic stress disorder. Bethea had to retire.

Out of work, rejected for Social Security and denied a disability pension, Bethea was struggling to get by.

These days, Bethea is doing better.

“I was granted my social security disability, and Union 1199 has been very helpful because now I do receive a disability pension,” he says.

But Bethea says it was not without a battle. He sued St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center to get salary information turned over to the union to get his disability pension.

But through it all Bethea has kept a level head by keeping busy and advocating for himself and others.

“Since June I've been down to Washington three times in which I spoke to the Senate as well as Congress, and this is in regards to get the $125 million Congress wants to take away from us,” he says.

Bethea is also lobbying to get a bill passed before the New York State Senate for 9/11 voluntary hospital EMS workers.

“This is a bill that would give the EMS workers for the private hospitals, part of the EMS system, would give them three-quarters of their salaries, just like the police officers and the firemen who were also disabled from 9/11,” he says.

Apart from his tireless crusade to get 9/11 EMS workers what he believes they deserve, Bethea is busy trying to stay positive. Still on numerous medications and plagued by horrific memories of the disaster, Bethea says he's working to move past the pain and into a new life filled with hope and serenity.

- Susan Jhun