Caryn Pfeifer is the widow of FDNY’er Ray Pfeifer, who despite being wheelchair-bound and ailing from stage 4 renal cancer, made trip after trip to Washington, D.C. with Jon Stewart and 9/11community advocate John Feal to make sure 9/11 first responders and other 9/11 victims get free lifetime health care and compensation for their illnesses. Caryn says Ray never got over the guilt he felt because he had swapped shifts with an FDNY brother that day, a brother who was killed at The World Trade Center, along with 342 other members of the New York City fire department. Caryn says mentally, Ray died on 9/11. He was never the same, suffering from depression and anxiety. Like other first responders, Ray spent 8 months at Ground Zero after 9/11, working to recover the remains of close to 3,000 who died that day. Pfeifer was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2009. It was stage 4 at the first diagnosis and had already spread, impacting his bones, lungs, and ultimately, his brain. Caryn says her husband was so guilt-ridden, he felt like the cancer was a deserved punishment. Ray Pfeifer is so beloved for his work on behalf of the 9/11 community, The Ray Pfeifer Foundation was formed in his memory, providing to ailing 9/11 first responders medical equipment not covered by insurance. The ultimate tribute to Ray comes from his son, Terence, who worked for the NYC EMS for three years before becoming a proud member of the FDNY.