5K Walk-A-Thon and Ground Breaking Ceremony Held in Gibbs Pond Park

As a U.S. Army Airborne Division veteran, a 9/11 responder and a kidney donor, John Feal embodies selflessness and sacrifice in a way very few are brave enough to do. 

"Everyone said I was crazy to do it," he said of his donation to a stranger, when he went under the knife on Aug. 30, 2007, "but there's no better feeling, short of winning the lottery."

He pauses.

"Or a hole-in-one," the avid golfer adds with a slight smile.

He also knows all too well the trials and tribulations that often accompany it. Since founding the Feal Good Foundation in 2005, Feal and his fellow heroes have battled doggedly on behalf of fellow heroes. 

On the national level, their efforts culminated in the January 2 passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in Congress, granting $4.3 billion in aid 9/11 responders. The bill is named for a NYPD officer, whose 2006 death from a respiratory ailment was attributed to his presence at Ground Zero in the wake of the attack.

On the local level - not very far from Feal's home in Nesconset - ground was broken on April 3 for a memorial in Gibbs Pond Park, to be dedicated to the 9/11 responders who died in the wake of the rescue and recovery efforts. A 5K walk, which began at 9 a.m. and drew a sizable turnout, raised funds for the memorial.

The event was organized by the nonprofit group 9-11 Responders Remembered, with sponsorships from the Feal Good Foundation and Citibank, as well as from local businesses including Little Vincent's Pizza and Innovative Stone. The goal will be to complete the memorial in time for the 10th anniversary of September 11.

"At certain points, there were some bumpy roads," said Errol Toulon, a retired Captain from the New York State Department of Corrections and president of 9/11 Responders Remembered, recalling the bill's complex route from proposal to law and how members of the executive board help speed the pace of progress. "I have the utmost admiration for them."

Toulon said that Suffolk County Leg. John M. Kennedy and his organization met to discuss the memorial's construction 16 months ago, which he added was the first he knew of to be dedicated to the memory of those who died from illnesses related to the response at Ground Zero. 

Several students from the Sachem High School East National Honor Society were also in attendance, including juniors Dennis O'Hara, Bryan McIntyre, Keri Teufel and Tom Teufel. 

Also in attendance were Rep. Tim Bishop and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who were both introduced by Feal and each spoke for several minutes about the efforts of 9/11 responders. Bishop and Gillibrand, both vehement supporters of the Zadroga bill, pledged to continue fighting on the political front for responders and their families.

James Ryder, a retired 20-year veteran of the NYPD and a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who serves on the boards of both the Feal Good Foundation and 9/11 Responders Remembered, named Gillibrand as one of the responders' strongest advocates. 

Feal, who answered the call to Ground Zero as a demolition expert on September 12 to help in the rescue and recovery effort, was injured at the site when a 8,000-pound steel beam crushed his left foot. He spent 11 weeks in the hospital, undergoing multiple surgeries. Half of his foot was amputated, but he remains mobile.

Then he got sick, as Zadroga and many others had, he too was diagnosed with a respiratory ailment.

His prior injury, which was documented, led him into the first of many battles for benefits. In addition to his physical problems, four doctors diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder, for which he now receives therapy.

"I had that John Wayne mentality, I thought I was invincible," he said. "I found out I wasn't." 

As president and founder of the Feal Good Foundation, which he established in 2005, he and his organization act on behalf of 9/11 responders and educate the public on the health issues faced by many of them. Admitting he was naive about the political process when he began the foundation, Feal said his experiences have only compelled him to fight harder on behalf of those who gave their lives in the wake of that fateful day. 

The generosity is growing along with the awareness, according to Feal. Within the past month alone, there have been 22 fundraisers held worldwide on behalf of the responders. T-shirts have been sold within 12 countries and over 40 states, and the foundation has donated over $300,000 as of the walk.

"9/11 is a national issue, not just New York," he said. "We have 435 congressional districts in this country, and 431 districts were represented at Ground Zero."

Glen Klein, the Vice President and Director of Police Personnel for the Feal Good Foundation, said that over 1,000 people have died from illnesses attributed to Ground Zero, up from 996 people - the toll listed on the flyer distributed prior to the event. 

A retired NYPD detective and 20-year veteran, Klein spent 16 years with the department's emergency unit (ESU). That day, he responded to the World Trade Center just before the collapse of the second tower. 14 men from his unit died in the response. 

Klein himself has suffered health issues in the aftermath, including scarred lungs and a precancerous polyp discovered in his colon, which has been removed. 

"I'm doing a lot better than a lot of other people," he said. "I can't complain."

The dedication also reaffirmed the purposes of responders' families. Rita Brophy, of Smithtown, lost her husband Tom at the age of 36 to colon cancer linked to Ground Zero. Their son Matthew, who also attended the event, was 3 years old when the NYPD officer died. 

"We're determined to fight for the reason he's not here anymore," she said, reflecting on Tom's own generosity. "He would give you the shirt off his back."