NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — New York City will mark the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on Sunday at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.
The ceremony at the memorial will be the same as always, but the museum is constantly trying to evolve.
"Estimates are 100 million people who were born since September 2001, in America, just in America, who have no memory of this event, and so to them it's history," said Alice Greenwald, the outgoing president and CEO of the museum.
They tell the story not just of the terror attacks but of the days, weeks and months that followed.
The day following the attacks has gotten specific attention at the museum.
"The 9/12 moment was a moment of unity, coming together, caring for one another, feeling compassion, feeling an urge to be of service to one's community, public service and volunteerism were at their height in the days, weeks and months after 9/11, and people felt motivated to do good in response to the obvious evils of the attacks," Greenwald said.
The aftermath of 9/11 led to thousands of rescue and cleanup workers descending on the site to help find victims and then help clear the tons of debris.
The World Trade Center Health Program was created to help those sickened by the poisonous air. Congress has provided funding on two separate occasions, but now more money is needed to allow new patients to enroll.
According to the health program, almost 5,400 people had died of 9-11-related illnesses as of June 30.
John Feal is a 9/11 responder who was injured at the site. He has organized efforts to pressure members of Congress to pass both bills. Now he's fighting the battle once again.
"If [the] program falls short of its mission, then we fall short of our mission as advocates, and then those people get sick and die, and it's on us ... it takes grassroot activism to get a bill passed, but it takes advocates to watch and guard this bill 24/7, and that's what we're doing," Feal said.
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said that she is "optimistic" that the bill will be passed "despite the large price tag."
"I believe that we will have the collaborative effort that we need and I'm optimistic we will get this done," the junior senator said.
Hear more about the legacy of 9/11 and the fight for first responders' health care in this week's In-Depth.
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