Kadia Goba's Newsday article on FDNY Chief Ronald Spadafora tells the story of a true American hero who made a difference in countless lives over the course of his 40 year service with FDNY.
Chief Spadafora has died of 9/11-related cancer at the age of 63. He was the World Trade Center chief of safety until the 9/11 recovery effort was fully completed. Ronald is survived by longtime domestic partner, Rhonda Roland-Shearer, who was also a 9/11 volunteer, siblings Frederick Spadafora, Nicholas Spadafora, Sharon Dionisio and Robert Spadafora
Spadafora was exposed to a lethal combination of toxic chemicals, dust and debris in the months he spent at Ground Zero. The air quality at the attack sites was not safe and continues to be responsible for new cancer diagnosis’ today-16 years after September 11, 2001. Spadafora’s diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia came in December of 2015.
Spadafora’s remains will be wrapped in an American flag and placed in an aluminum stokes basket, “just like his fallen brothers of 9/11,” said Roland-Shearer.
“Seeing his body wrapped in the flag allows people to experience what we who worked at Ground Zero witnessed,”
Read more of the Newsday story here: bit.ly/FDNYChiefSpadafora
