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Dust inhaled in the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center has made many first responders seriously ill in the years since 9/11.

“We will never forget those that died, but it just breaks my heart to see the people struggling who are sick now,” says Marvin Bethea, a 9/11 first responder who worked as a paramedic for St. John’s Hospital in Queens.

NY1 first met with Bethea a month after the disaster while he was home after suffering a stroke on the job. He was fighting to get workers’ compensation, spurred on by his doctor’s assertion that the condition was brought about by the stress of 9/11.

At the time, NY1 got Bethea's union to extend his benefits and replace his lost wages. Months later, Bethea recovered and returned to work, but he was forced to retire just a couple years later due to serious respiratory problems.

All along the way, Bethea has paid a heavy price for his heroic efforts, struggling to get financial assistance to pay his bills.

‘You can't tell me that, "Okay, you're good enough to put in harm’s way, and we can throw you into a fire and if you don't get burned that's great, but if you do get burned now, we don't know you,’” says Bethea.

After a five-year struggle, Bethea finally received his worker's comp, and after testifying before Congress, he received some of the money given to the state to help those with 9/11-related health problems.

With the recent signing of the Zadroga Bill into law, which provides healthcare and medical monitoring to those exposed to toxins at the site, Bethea is in a better position, but he's still fighting to be awarded the federal Public Safety Officer Benefit.

“I'm fortunate now that I am getting coverage, but you know what worries me is that if I have some type of, you know, I get worse and now I can't take care of myself and I need some type of long-term healthcare, I can't get that,” says Bethea.

It’s a concern that shadows Bethea, who approaches the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 with uncertainty, but hope for his future.