Jimmy Brown, a former NYPD cop and now retired FDNY firefighter, didn’t always believe in God’s providence— even as his life was spared on 9/11. But, on the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the Twin Towers, Jimmy placed his trust in God— just before four separate cancer battles that were to come.
In May 2001, Jimmy left the NYPD and joined the FDNY. He was assigned to E10/L10, known as Tenhouse, that stood at the foot of the World Trade Center; on the morning of September 11th, 2001, Jimmy and his fellow Tenhouse firefighters were the first to respond and head into the towers. Jimmy later found himself caught under piles of debris as the North Tower fell. The ensuing dust cloud was so thick he couldn’t breathe, hear or see anything, not even the beam of the flashlight strapped to his chest.
Looking back, Jimmy shared that he knows that it was only by God’s intervention that he was not crushed to death on that day. Having been a peer supporter as a cop prior to 9/11, Jimmy was prepared with the necessary tools to help him through the PTSD and depression that would follow.
Research by the CDC suggests that the toxic combination of building dust, smoke, and jet fuel at Ground Zero contained numerous known carcinogens, and as that deadly cocktail burned for weeks at 1000+ degrees, the cancer risks for responders were increased exponentially. Those present at Ground Zero, like Jimmy, face a heightened risk of developing dozens of cancers, including melanoma, prostate, head and neck, and thyroid cancers.
In 2017, Jimmy noticed a black spot while shaving his head. Thankfully, he was routinely getting skin checks and at his next visit, his dermatologist biopsied the spot— he confirmed it was indeed melanoma. According to Jimmy, it was by the grace of God that it was caught so early that the biopsy had removed the entirety of it. Jimmy now happily jokes, “Thank God for male pattern baldness!”
Then, in 2022, Jimmy was diagnosed with an aggressive prostate cancer after discovering elevated PSA levels. AdventHealth urologist Dr. Christopher Russell performed a full prostatectomy, which caught the cancer just in time before it started to spread, followed by 40 rounds of radiation a year later. Understanding the value of being proactive with his health, he followed up in 2024 with his ENT to monitor some other chronic 9/11-related conditions. Knowing Jimmy’s cancer history and 9/11 exposure, his ENT and AdventHealth oncologist, Dr. Carlos Alemany, was rightfully aggressive when he discovered a suspicious lymph node in Jimmy's neck.
That lymph node was positive for Jimmy’s third cancer, squamous cell carcinoma. He underwent a full neck dissection, as well as biopsies of his tonsil and base of tongue to check for spread. The biopsies were negative, but another lymph node was positive for his fourth cancer diagnosis: thyroid cancer. That summer, Jimmy’s AdventHealth head and neck surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Magnuson, performed his last two surgeries to eradicate both remaining cancers without the need for any radiation or chemotherapy follow-up.
As of today, Jimmy is now cancer free and shares, “If it wasn’t for several doctors who were thorough and proactive, who took into account the totality of my history, exposure and experiences, all of these cancers— especially the last two— could have been easily missed.” All of Jimmy’s four cancers are presumed to have been caused by the 9/11 dust per the CDC.
By sharing his story, Jimmy hopes to inspire others to be vigilant about monitoring their health, trusting in God’s provision and embracing the support of trained and dedicated medical professionals. Jimmy shared, “If what I’ve been through can help someone else avoid it or catch it early, then sharing is totally worth it.” Even in the face of overwhelming adversity, Jimmy believes that faith and perseverance can help us overcome any obstacle.
