A crowd gathered at East Stroudsburg University of PA on Sunday, September 11th, to watch as 9/11 disabled first responder, James Hagner, strapped on a harness and pulled Road Scholar Transport’s Rolling Memorial awareness truck, weighing in at approximately 36,000 lbs, to help raise money for the FealGood Foundation.
The FealGood Foundation aims to assist 9/11 first responders who were injured and their families, along with helping to spread awareness about the catastrophic health effects 9/11 had on these individuals.
Hagner spent 43 days at the site as a volunteer fireman during 9/11 and has been disabled since the age of 36. After enduring a diabetic coma in May 2013, the doctors had told him that he had the lungs of a 92-year-old. “I never had asthma and it began there and worked its way up,” says Hagner. “For being a first responder of 9/11 and a tier 4, I was only given 2years to live.”
Hagner was greeted with applause as he successfully pulled the truck across the parking lot. “I’m beyond honored to say that I did this to show other first responders, ill, diabetic, obese and those that are as sick as me, that life isn’t over! No one will ever forget those who sacrificed their lives 15 years ago on one of America’s most tragic attacks in history on American soil,” he said. “It meant the world to see everyone come together who was able to be there or on Facebook Live in body and spirit to share this time with all of us! So many were lost, injured, and mentally and emotionally impacted on this tragic day. I just want to say thank you to everyone who made today’s event possible! You all made dreams a reality and no matter how hard anyone has it, where there’s a will there’s a way and I set my goal on January 25th determined to save my life by breaking out of my shell and fighting for my family and friends and the 9/11 community to stand up and do this one step at a time! We did this as ONE and we will never forget this!”
Check out video and photos from the event below.
