Manhattan chef fighting 9/11 illness battle after food deliveries to Ground Zero made him sick

One-time Manhattan chef John Moogan never wanted any attention for his volunteer efforts at Ground Zero — until now, when it might be too late.

For three days after the twin towers collapsed, as Ground Zero became blanketed with toxic dust and airborne poisons after the 9/11 attacks, Moogan prepared and delivered trays of food, along with boxes of socks, gloves and face masks, to first responders working in the rubble downtown.

The 57-year-old, after battling with various illnesses since 2011, was officially declared a 9/11 responder by the World Trade Center Health Program earlier this month, but still needs his benefits approved in short order as the clock keeps ticking on his fight for survival.

Chef John Moogan

“I never looked for or got a pat on the back,” the pony-tailed father of four told the Daily News. “But they found tumors this past April in my lymph nodes and adrenal gland. And let me tell you, they’re growing faster than my vendetta list.”

Moogan first headed downtown from his job at the Red Lion in Greenwich Village after preparing trays of food for first responders on Sept. 14, bringing an assortment of sandwiches and pizza to the lobby of a building on North Moore and Greenwich Sts. for another two days afterward.

It was a call for aid from his late sibling Tom, the building manager, that set the mission in motion, he recalled.

The site was just a short walk from the toppled twin towers as Moogan distributed his wares without a thought about his exposure to toxins or what the future would hold for his health.

“It was not heroic,” he insisted. “I just wanted to do something to help.”

Chef John Moogan

Now he’s the one in need of some aid as his body continues to fail and his future depends on medical treatment sooner than later.

Moogan said the first sign of trouble came a decade after the attack, when he was diagnosed with cancer. Much of his right lung was removed, and Moogan initially blamed the problems on a smoking habit before the truth became clear.

In 2019, a diagnosis of of a rare autoimmune disorder convinced doctors there was a connection between 9/11 and Moogan’s condition. It took another three years before his application to World Trade Center program was approved earlier this month.

But he still needs a screening to get the necessary treatment for his illness, and Moogan says time is short given his dire health situation.

World Trade Center Health Program spokeswoman Stephanie Stevens said privacy measures prevent the organization from commenting on individual cases.

“However, the [program] is committed to ensuring the timely delivery of appropriate, timely and effective health services to all members,” she added.

Moogan, who started as a dishwasher before becoming a chef, hopes for approval before a scheduled five days of radiation treatment slated for set for this coming Tuesday.

“I need someone to say the radiation treatment is worth it for this guy,” he said. “I’ve got no 9/11 chef-advocacy group. I need somebody to say, ‘Hey, this guy did some stuff,’ and move me over to the World Trade Center fund.”

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