Friends Come To The Aid Of 9/11 First Responder

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21502164/

10/27/2007

BARNEGAT TOWNSHIP, N.J. - A fundraiser was held Friday night to help a man who used to make a living helping others.
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The Jersey Shore resident was one of the first responders to the attacks at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. But as NBC 10?s Doug Shimell explained, these days, he's in need of a helping hand himself.

"This is not about me. This is about all the 9/11 first responders and rescue workers. Those of us that are sick and dying. We just want our dignity,? Charlie Giles said.

Giles, a former N.Y. EMT, can't work due to lung problems caused by the dust and debris at ground zero. The 9/11 Victims? Fund hasn't paid his medical bills and his Barnegat Township, N.J., home is in foreclosure. For those reasons, colleagues and local officials went to work to help Giles out. It has become a rescue mission for the rescuer.

"If the president and the national government, you know, the federal government would just step in, take a look at this and let's get something going for these people," Barnegat Township Mayor Al Cirulli said.

Ailing New York firefighter Billy Maher also came. In Michael Moore's documentary, "Sicko," Maher was flown to Cuba for medical treatment.

"We're all in this together. We're kind of like standing alone right now. We're fighting for all of us," Maher said.

Students from the Kenneth R. Olson Middle School in Tabernacle, N.J., raised nearly $800 for Charlie.

"We didn't think we'd raise that much money. We were just so excited when we found out. We were blown away by how generous people were," said one student.

But when John Feal arrived, Giles became emotional. Feal lost a foot as a 9/11 responder at ground zero. He is the founder of Feal Good Foundation and has adopted Giles? case.

"We're going to show the federal government that while they sit idle that people like us that really have nothing after 9/11, can still make a difference and help," Feal said.

Those who came to the fundraiser brought a donation. In the end, the amount totaled $5,000. The sum brought Giles to tears, once again.