If you only read one thing, please know this: John Samet helped New York recover after 9/11 — searching for human remains for over a year — and now he cannot be left alone.

The system will not pay for the PTSD and depression that helped take away John’s ability to work. Hope has had to stop working to care for him around the clock, while they face the terrifying cost of memory care and a drastically reduced pension. John stood up for New York when it mattered most. Now he and Hope need people to stand up for them.

• John is a member of IUOE Local 14 and worked for the NYC Department of Sanitation. Even in retirement, he still has to pay union dues.

• John served after 9/11 in the dust, wreckage, and remains.

• He searched for human remains for over a year.

• He is now seriously ill, living with dementia, and cannot be left alone.

• Hope had to stop working to care for him full time.

• There is no VCF payout for PTSD or depression.

• They need help now to keep John safe at home.

After the towers fell, John worked at Ground Zero and Fresh Kills Landfill, helping clear debris, operate heavy equipment, and search for human remains for over a year. That kind of work does not leave a person unchanged. It was horrifying, exhausting, heartbreaking work in the dust, wreckage, and grief of one of the darkest days in our country’s history. John carried it with his body, his mind, and his health.

Firefighters, police officers, and EMTs are rightly honored for their courage, but they were not the only ones who showed up. Operating engineers, sanitation workers, equipment operators, and laborers were there too. John was one of them. As a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 14 and an employee of the New York City Department of Sanitation, John gave everything he had in service to this city.

What John Is Facing Now

Today, the man who helped carry New York through unimaginable loss needs help staying safe in his own home. John is fighting multiple serious WTC-certified conditions, along with PTSD, depression, and early-onset dementia. Dementia has become the most devastating part of his life. He can no longer work. He can no longer be safely left alone. He now needs around-the-clock care.

Hope has stopped working to care for John full time. Their income has been drastically reduced, their expenses have grown, and the financial strain has become unbearable. John was forced to take a drastically reduced pension just so they could access money they needed to survive, and he had to sign away Hope’s right to his pension after his death. That should never be the price a family pays after a lifetime of service.

Why Help Is Needed Now

The injustice is infuriating: the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund does not provide any payout for PTSD or depression, even though those conditions helped take away John’s ability to work and live independently. John’s early-onset dementia is the most devastating condition he faces, and even if certification is pursued, it may not be approved in time to help him during his lifetime. The system may not move fast enough for John, but we can.

Immediate need: $7,600 per month for in-home memory care. Total goal: $376,000 to help cover two years of professional care, essential household expenses, adaptive medical needs, and stability so John can remain safely at home with his family. The number is overwhelming because the need is overwhelming. Every donation helps carry part of a burden this family should not have to carry alone.

Where Donations Will Go

• Professional in-home memory care: $7,600 per month for the care John now needs every day.

• Mortgage: $4,286 per month to help keep John and Hope in their home.

• Taxes and insurance: $1,590 per month.

• Electric: $900 per month.

• Water: $65 per month.

• Gas: $135 per month.

• Food, diapers, and healthcare needs: $1,090 per month.

What Your Donation Does for John

• Helps keep John safely at home instead of forcing care decisions based only on money.

• Helps John keep the home he has had for 50 years — the home he is now in danger of losing — surrounded by the life, memories, and family he knows.

• Helps pay for the memory care he now needs every day so he is not left unsafe or without support.

• Gives Hope support so she is not carrying this crisis alone around the clock.

• Helps cover basic needs like food, diapers, medical supplies, utilities, and housing stability.

• Gives John dignity, safety, and comfort after everything he gave to New York.

How Donations Will Be Protected

Every donation will be protected and used only for John and Hope’s needs. Funds will be placed into a designated bank account for approved care and household expenses only, with Hope serving as trustee. This keeps support focused on John’s care, their home, and the monthly costs required to keep him safe and stable.

Please donate today — John and Hope need help now. John stood in the wreckage for New York after 9/11. He did the work too many people never saw and too many have forgotten. Now he is fighting to stay safe in the home he has had for 50 years — the home he is in danger of losing. Hope cannot do this alone, and waiting only makes this crisis harder. If you can give $5, $10, $25, or any amount, please do it today. Your donation helps keep a 9/11 responder safe at home, helps Hope continue caring for him with dignity, and helps stop this family from being crushed by the cost of care. If you cannot donate, please share this fundraiser today. Every donation and every share matters right now. Please help make sure John Samet is not forgotten.

atters.