Marcy Borders, a mother and one of many survivors of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center was photographed on September 11th, 2001. Her “Dust Lady” image has been seen all over the world as an iconic piece of history from that tragic day and her story is still being shared.
In 2001, a photographer named Stan Honda who was working for Agence France-Presse, captured a photo of Marcy Borders covered in dust from the falling debris of the collapsing Twin Towers in New York City. The photo has since become a symbol of the collective trauma of that day.
Noelle Borders is the daughter of Marcy, and after her mother’s death from a battle with cancer, she is determined to keep her mother’s story alive. In a conversation with theGrio, Noelle, who was 8-years-old during the attacks, she shares her mother’s story of perseverance.
Her mother was a 28-year-old Bank of America employee who had a few weeks under her belt on the job. She barely escaped the 81st floor of World Trade Center’s North Tower alive and revealed in interviews years later that the traumatic experience left her unable to cope as she struggled with alcohol and drugs throughout the years.
Her mother eventually checked into a rehabilitation facility and regained custody of her son but died of stomach cancer in 2015 at the age of 42.
Noelle, now a 28-year-old elementary history teacher in Bayonne, New Jersey, remembers 9/11 and witnessed firsthand how deeply traumatized her mother was after.
Remembering a plane flying low over an anniversary parade, Noelle recalls the triggering effect it had on her mother.
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“She heard that noise and began to panic. At this point, the streets are flooded with people from our town. She grabbed my hand and me and her are the only two people running away from the plane sound. And then eventually she just stopped” after realizing she was actually safe from harms way.”
Although her mother was often triggered each year by the circulation of her “Dust Lady” photo, she made sure to keep a brave face for her children.
“She never allowed me as her child to see that … everything that she did was in the dark and a lot of things that I found out was through interviews,” Noelle said.
“No matter how hurt she was, no matter how upset she was, protecting me was at the forefront of everything. So honestly, I was just as shocked as anybody else reading how she dealt with it and me not even noticing it as a child because she covered it up so well.”
Noelle says her mission is to keep her mother’s story and memory alive for her younger brother, Zayden, 13 and her own son, Liam, who is three.
“Her story honestly helped so many other people throughout their struggles … she was not just a hero to me, but she was a hero to many other people. So many of the people were able to relate to her story.”
She plans to publish her mother’s journals to show people she was more than just the “Dust Lady” and to remind others, “no matter what may be thrown their way, they’re able to overcome anything. the worst is not the end all be all — you’re going to overcome it.“
