Fox News correspondent Eric Shawn stunned viewers on Thursday by disclosing during a live broadcast that he has been diagnosed with cancer linked to toxic exposure at Ground Zero following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The revelation came during a segment of “Fox and Friends” in which the anchors reflected on the health challenges faced by first responders and others who were present in lower Manhattan when the Twin Towers collapsed.
While discussing those long-term consequences, Shawn shared that he himself is among the tens of thousands of Americans whose health has been irreparably impacted.
The attacks carried out by al-Qaeda on Sept. 11 claimed 2,977 lives at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard United Flight 93.
In the aftermath, thick clouds of dust and debris enveloped Lower Manhattan, exposing firefighters, police officers, cleanup workers, journalists and civilians to dangerous carcinogens.
According to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, at least 44,000 people have since been diagnosed with cancers connected to that exposure.
Shawn, who was on the ground reporting in the days after the attacks, explained that he initially suffered from chronic bronchitis but only this year learned of his cancer diagnosis.
“Yeah, bronchitis, yeah, also cancer,