She watched the towers fall on 9/11. Then she watched her high school peers get sick from toxins

WBUR

Published September 10, 2026 at 11:10 AM CDT

Lila Nordstrom (left) and fellow Stuyvesant High School graduates, 2002 (Courtesy of Lila Nordstrom)

Lila Nordstrom watched the first of the twin towers fall from a 10th-floor window at Stuyvesant High School 25 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001.

But she says the real story for her classmates began on Oct. 9, 27 days later, when the students became the first to return to classes, through debris-strewn streets and smoldering fires.

Nordstrom suffers from asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and other ailments. In college and beyond, she noticed that many of her classmates had developed respiratory and other serious illnesses, including cancers, and how expensive it was to pay for their health care.

In 2006, she founded StuyHealth, an advocacy group for young adults and students affected by the toxic materials and environmental fallout from 9/11. Two decades later, the group has expanded to help survivors navigate the process of applying for medical and financial benefits through the World Trade Center Health Program and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

Nordstrom is also author of the book “Some Kids Left Behind,” recently released in paperback. She talks to host Robin Young about 9/11 and her healing through advocacy.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.