Vaccine eligibility to expand to include those with 9/11-related cancers

NYPD officer Tom Wilson spent five weeks digging through the rubble at Ground Zero after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, searching for survivors and remains — all while inhaling toxic dust into his lungs. Wilson, 52, of Bellport, would pay a stiff price for his efforts. He developed oral cancer and surgeons replaced part of his tongue with a slab of arm flesh during a procedure to remove cancerous cells. Wilson, who later joined the Suffolk Police Department, also underwent a radical neck dissection and the radiation that treated his cancer caused severe damage to his jaw.