202: The Long Shadow: What if you ran the ER five blocks away?
This Is Actually Happening
Wondery
4.6 • 9.9K Ratings
🗓️ 7 September 2021
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
“The world looks like it’s coming to an end, and another cloud comes over…Everything goes dark, and the world is covered in dust.”
Producers: Whit Missildine, Andrew Waits
Episode Summary: On September 11th, 2001 an ER Doctor finds himself in charge of the closest emergency room to the Twin Towers.
Today's episode featured Tony Dajer. Tony was born in New York City, grew up in Puerto Rico, and has been practicing as an ER Doctor in New York for 30 years. You can read one of Tony's articles called "Vital Signs" featured in Discover Magazine at www.discovermagazine.com/health/vital-signs-37.
This episode is part of a special, four-part series called The Long Shadow. Twenty Years after the attacks of September 11th changed the world as we knew it, this month the This Is Actually Happening podcast dives deep into the stories of four survivors whose jobs brought them face to face with the unthinkable. For those called to manage an impossible tragedy up close, the events of September 11th represented a uniquely horrifying challenge. Among the harrowing details of that day, we explore the long shadows of trauma and resilience that continue to inform the looming uncertainties that remain with us today.
Social Media: Instagram: @actuallyhappening
Website: www.thisisactuallyhappening.com
Website for Andrew Waits: http://andrdewwaits.com/
Special Thanks: To all who helped make this series happen - Ellen Westberg, Andrew Waits, Marcelino Villalpando, Gabriella Quintana, Emily Caldwell, and Jason Blalock.
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Content/Trigger Warnings: violence, graphic bodily injury, terrorism, explicit language
Intro Music: "Illabye" – Tipper
Music and Sound Design by: Marcelino Villalpando
Services
If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264
National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line: Within the US, text HOME to 741741
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is actually happening features real experiences that often include traumatic events. |
| 0:04.2 | Please consult the show notes for specific content warnings on each episode |
| 0:07.6 | and for more information about support services. |
| 0:16.1 | 20 years after the attacks of September 11th changed the world as we knew it. |
| 0:20.0 | This month, that this is actually happening podcast, |
| 0:22.6 | dives deep into the stories of four survivors whose jobs brought them face to face with the unthinkable. |
| 0:28.6 | We wanted to focus specifically on the workers in and around the twin towers on 9-11 |
| 0:33.3 | to explore not only what it was like from a personal perspective and how it changed their lives, |
| 0:37.8 | but to find out what happened for those who had a responsibility to manage the tragedy in some way. |
| 0:42.6 | We'll hear from an overwhelmed ER doctor working in a hospital five blocks from the towers. |
| 0:47.4 | A poor authority public affairs chief caught in her office on the 68th floor, |
| 0:51.6 | a woman who sued to become the first female firefighter in the New York City Fire Department, |
| 0:56.2 | and a cardiologist who volunteered at a temporary morgue set up inside a nearby Brooks Brothers. |
| 1:01.6 | As special content for the show, we're calling this limited run series the Long Shadow. |
| 1:06.4 | However, these episodes will still continue in the traditional style of this is actually happening. |
| 1:11.0 | Raw first-person accounts of a life-changing day among those called to manage an impossible tragedy. |
| 1:17.0 | We explore the personal experiences, struggles, and life circumstances they brought with them into the day itself. |
| 1:22.5 | The work they were called to perform under catastrophic circumstances, as well as the long shadows of trauma and resilience |
| 1:28.5 | that continue to inform the looming uncertainties that remain with us today. |
| 1:32.8 | For long-time listeners of the show, this will be a familiar format, |
| 1:35.9 | but with additional sound design from the very talented Marcelino Villalpondo. |
| 1:40.5 | For those of you just tuning in for the first time, welcome and I hope you enjoy the series. |
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