The growing number has put crippling pressure on the September 11 Victim Compensation fund, set up by the U.S. government to provide financial aid for the sick and the families of those who've died from their illnesses. Before the cuts were announced, compensation rates for people diagnosed with 9/11-related ailments ranged from $200,000 to $340,000 US, depending on the type of illness and its severity. Doing so would likely render the compensation cuts unnecessary and protect those diagnosed with 9/11-related illnesses in the future. Their fathers were New York City firefighters who died prematurely after being diagnosed with 9/11-related cancers. "I can't imagine that I got all these other illnesses so early on and I'm not going to get cancer."

Source: CBC News March 31, 2019 08:00 UTC