by JONATHAN LEMIRE
For nine months, retired firefighter Lee Ielpi toiled at Ground Zero in a determined search for the remains of those who lost their lives on 9/11, including his own son. Now Ielpi, a dedicated advocate for the victims' families, is facing a new challenge - an incurable cancer that may be linked to toxins found at the World Trade Center site. "I feel well; I'm handling treatment exceptionally well," said Ielpi, 62, whose firefighter son, Jonathan, 29, was killed at the twin towers. "I have a positive attitude, and my doctor has a positive attitude." Ielpi, a former vice president of the 9/11 Victims and Families Association, was suffering from shortness of breath and a slight swelling in his ankle when he went to an FDNY screening four months ago. He was diagnosed with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, an uncommon type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It is treatable, but not curable. "There has been some research and according to what I understand, the lymphoma type of cancer might be found in some individuals who worked at the site," he said. "But I don't know for sure what happened, it's too early to definitively say." Even though he has cancer, Ielpi does not regret the days and nights he spent searching for remains at Ground Zero. "My first mission was my son," he said. "And I stayed at the site because of everyone's son and brother and sister and mother who was there." Ielpi is not letting his chemotherapy slow him down. He co-founded the WTC Tribute Center at Ground Zero this month. "The response has been overwhelming," he said. "It's touched a lot people."
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