On the 24th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, Fox News correspondent Eric Shawn delivered a deeply personal and emotional live report from Lower Manhattan during a Fox & Friends segment.
According to Fox News, as survivors, first responders, families, and public officials gathered to honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost, Shawn revealed that he himself is now suffering from 9/11-related cancer.
“I have two different diagnoses under the World Trade Center Program,” he said, referring to the federal initiative that offers monitoring and treatment to survivors and responders affected by toxic exposure at Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
“It is hard to believe that it has been nearly a quarter of a century since that day, when radical Islamic terrorism attacked the very heart of our city and our country,” Shawn said.
In a solemn tone, Shawn reminded viewers that the tragedy did not end on September 11, 2001.
“While 2,977 people were murdered here that day, the number who have died from 9/11-related illnesses has increased from the toxic dust that was released,” he noted.
“We’re all in this together.”
According to CDC data, 48,000 people have now reported 9/11-related cancers, with nearly 10,000 new diagnoses just in the past year. Over 3,700 first responders have died since the attacks, including 2,300 who battled cancer. The FDNY has suffered devastating losses, with 409 members succumbing to post-9/11 illnesses.
Shawn, who covered the attacks live in 2001 and reported from the wreckage in the days and weeks that followed, says the data is no longer just statistics — it’s personal.
“Back then, I remember thinking, maybe in 20, 30 years later I’ll get something. Well, here it is, 24 years.”
His own diagnoses include a bronchitis-related respiratory illness and a cancer diagnosis earlier this year, both linked to his time spent breathing in the toxic air near Ground Zero.
Still, Shawn says he feels fortunate.
“I think of all those who were killed that day and those who continue to suffer because of that philosophy — that is not diminished. We have to condemn it. We have to despise it. You will never forget.”
Shawn ended his segment with a powerful message of unity:
“We’re all in this together. I mean, we are. We are all in it together.”
As the nation remembers one of its darkest days, Eric Shawn’s raw testimony stands as a reminder of the long shadow of 9/11 — and the unbreakable spirit of those who continue to bear its weight.
