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NY1 For You: Man Injured On
9/11 Creates Online Forum For Others
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APRIL 15TH,
2003
One man is trying to bring awareness
to the plight of all those injured on 9/11 through a new
website. NY1's Susan Jhun has that story.
Dennis
Sirjuesingh has what amounts to his own private pharmacy a
painful reminder of surviving the terrorist attacks of
September 11.
A part of me died that day and I know
I'm not going to get it back, Sirjuesingh said.
On
September 11, the former sales manager who worked next to the
World Trade Center said he sustained severe injuries from
falling debris.
I just felt this enormous impact like
somebody had hit me with a hammer in the middle of the back of
my neck, Sirjuesingh said.
Not realizing the extent
of his injuries, Sirjuesingh didn't seek medical attention
until about six weeks later.
I woke up one morning
and I had absolutely no feeling in both my hands, he said.
Sirjuesingh said he consulted a doctor who told him he
had three damaged discs that were pushing into his spinal cord
and crushing his nerve endings. The injuries were a result,
his doctor said, of injuries from 9/11, injuries that left him
unable to work.
I can't do the things I love. I love
to do things around the house I can't do that anymore, he
said. I feel like an invalid.
And with trips to the
ER, tests and hundreds of dollars a month in medication,
Sirjuesingh wonders why he doesn't qualify for financial
assistance from the Victim's Compensation Fund.
I'm
told you didn't go to the hospital within three days, so you
couldn't have been hurt enough, Sirjuesingh said.
Sirjuesingh is referring to the guidelines of the
fund, which state all those injured on 9/11 are only eligible
for compensation if they received medical treatment within 72
hours of when they were injured.
But Sirjuesingh said
his doctors claim his injuries wouldn't have been realized
within that time.
I've got three doctors telling me
very consistently that would never have shown up, Sirjuesingh
said. It takes time.
Now Sirjuesingh has taken his
battle online by creating a non-profit website for those
injured on 9/11. In addition to links, message boards and
related news articles about victim compensation, the website
offers a forum for those injured in the tragedy.
My
vision, my focus is it becomes an area where people can
write their stories and offer advice, and we can all help each
other, said Sirjuesingh. One voice can't be heard in a crowd
but a thousand voices can.
You can have a voice by
logging onto Dennis' website at http://www.911injured.org/.
--Susan Jhun
If
you'd like "NY1 For You" to look into a problem, call our
24-hour helpline at 212-379-3599 or send an email to ny1foryou@ny1.com.
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