ENIGMA

Help Bob Escobar Now

Bob Escobar is a 9/11 survivor living with COPD and PTSD. Your donation can provide meaningful relief and remind Bob that he is not facing this journey alone.

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A man falling from the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, choosing to jump rather than perish in the flames — This is a real photograph. A man chose to jump to his death from the World Trade Center rather than burn alive on September 11, 2001.

A MOMENT REMEMBERED

A Moment Remembered

Bob Escobar continues to live with the impact of 9/11. This image is shared here as part of his story, remembrance, and the ongoing reality he faces today.

HIS STORY

Bob's Story

Bob Escobar is a 9/11 survivor whose life was permanently changed by that day. He continues to live with disability, COPD, and PTSD, and this site exists to help visitors understand his reality with dignity and compassion.

This site shares his story directly and honestly so supporters can see the person behind the need. Every visit, every share, and every donation helps bring compassion and practical support to an ongoing fight.

I am still living with the impact of that day, and every act of support makes a real difference.

— Bob Escobar

World Trade Center Health Program

Certified for PTSD — Then Told It Is Non-Compensable

I receive letters in the mail from the World Trade Center Health Program and Victim Compensation Fund telling me how they have expanded their coverage. But before you can be compensated, you must see doctors and go through a lengthy certification process.

I have been certified for both COPD and PTSD. I received a small payment for COPD. For PTSD, I was told in writing that it is non-compensable. Their reason: the damage from PTSD — a mental illness — could not be quantified.

I am sure it can be quantified, if they bothered to speak to a psychiatrist. This is discrimination against people with mental illness. Plain and simple.

I was told in writing that PTSD is non-compensable. The damage from a mental illness could not be quantified. This is discrimination.

— Bob Escobar

They run commercials on television telling people they need more survivors to come forward and claim free medical coverage. What they do not tell you is that they only pay co-pays. All medical charges must go through your primary insurance first. And they put you through hell just to get those co-pays paid.

WTC Health Program Member ID: 911S15471

AN INJUSTICE THAT MUST BE CORRECTED

The Victim Compensation Fund Must Pay PTSD Victims

The Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), of which I am a member, has made the decision not to compensate people suffering from PTSD. This is wrong. This is an injustice.

PTSD is a real, devastating, and life-altering condition. For those of us who survived September 11th, the psychological wounds are just as real as the physical ones. The trauma of that day does not disappear — it lives with us every single day. Denying compensation to PTSD sufferers dismisses our pain and ignores the full scope of what we endure.

The Victim Compensation Fund must change this rule. PTSD victims deserve to be recognized, respected, and compensated. This is one of the main reasons this website exists — to raise awareness and demand justice for all 9/11 survivors living with PTSD.

Stand with Bob and demand the VCF do what is right.

Living with PTSD

What a Flashback Really Is

Flashback

A flashback — you see it in your mind.

Hallucination

A hallucination — you see it with your eyes, and it is not really there.

There is an important difference that most people do not understand. A flashback is something you see in your mind — a memory so vivid and overwhelming it feels like it is happening again. A hallucination is something you see with your eyes that is not really there. They are not the same thing. I want people to know the difference.

I get flashbacks every day.

— Bob Escobar

The Weight of Medical Necessity

The Medications I Take for Pain

On top of the medications I take for PTSD, I take prescription pain medications. I am under the care of New Jersey Pain Management and go to their office every 28 days. I had to sign an opioid agreement.

I live with the fact that if I make a mistake and take too much, I could overdose and die. Or if somehow I lose my medication, it will not be refilled — and I will go into withdrawal and die.

The problem I live with is that I need these medications to be able to live without the severe and horrible pain. And the reason a doctor prescribed them to me in the first place is because of what happened on September 11th.

Oxycodone HCL

10 mg every 6 hours as needed

And I always need them.

Morphine Sulfate ER

30 mg every 12 hours

Gabapentin

800 mg four times a day

There is no way out for me.

— Bob Escobar

I started taking these medications before the opioid crisis. I will have to take them for the rest of my life. There is no way out for me.

The Cost of Staying Alive

If I Cannot Pay, I Will Die

Medicare

Parts A & B

WellCare

Prescription drug coverage

Fixed Income

While the cost of living rises with no end in sight

If for some reason I was unable to pay my doctor's bill or pay the co-pay for my medications, I would be dead in a short period of time.

Right now, I am on Medicare Parts A and B, and WellCare for prescription drugs. I am on a fixed income — and the cost of living continues to rise every single day with no end in sight.

This is not an exaggeration. This is not a figure of speech. The medications that keep me alive require payment. Without them, I go into withdrawal. Without them, the pain becomes unsurvivable. There is no safety net below this one.

If I cannot pay, I will die. That is the reality I live with every day.

— Bob Escobar

No Smoking Gun Cure

There Is No Cure for PTSD

There is no smoking gun cure for PTSD. I have been taking prescription medication since October of 2001 — that was the fastest I could get in to see a psychiatrist after September 11th.

I am stabilized now. This is what I take every day:

Quetiapine (Seroquel)

100 mg at bedtime

Mirtazapine

45 mg at bedtime

Hydroxyzine Pamoate

25 mg twice a day

These are not optional. They are what keep me stabilized. This is my life.

West Broadway, September 11, 2001

Running from the North Tower

The North Tower is the tower with the very large antenna on top. I was on West Broadway when I noticed the antenna beginning to shake. I walked toward the North Tower to see what was happening.

The next thing I knew, the tower began to collapse. A plume of smoke came up West Broadway at a very high rate of speed. I turned and ran as fast as I could — along with thousands of other people in the street at that moment.

I looked to my right. An African American woman was running in high heels. In mid-stride, she reached down with her right hand and took off her shoe on her left foot. On the next stride, she reached down with her left hand and took off her shoe on her right foot — then took off running and left me behind like I was standing still.

She took off running and left me behind like I was standing still.

— Bob Escobar

I continued running toward the AT&T building where I was working. I tripped on the street curb and slid into the building. This is where my head was jerked back. This is where I herniated the disc that led to my surgery.

Injured Running for My Life

My Spinal Injury and Chronic Pain

I was also injured running from the North Tower when it came down. I was on West Broadway. I had surgery twice on my upper spine — C-2, C-3, C-4, and C-5 — and my spine was fused to prevent me from becoming a paraplegic.

Now I suffer from chronic pain. When you have chronic pain, the pain never goes away. That means it never goes away. I presently take extremely strong prescription painkillers, and I will be taking these drugs for the rest of my life.

The pain never goes away. That means it never goes away.

— Bob Escobar

I will give more details on chronic pain as my story proceeds.

They told us it was safe

The EPA Told Us the Air Was Safe to Breathe

Christine Todd Whitman, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, made a major public announcement: it was safe to breathe the air if you worked below Canal Street. So I, along with many thousands of people, continued to work in that contaminated environment.

That decision — that lie — is what led directly to my COPD, and later to lung infections and repeated hospital stays. We trusted the government. We trusted the EPA. And we paid for that trust with our health.

They told us it was safe. We believed them. Now we are sick.

— Bob Escobar

My Story

On September 11, 2001, I witnessed unimaginable tragedy firsthand. What I saw that day changed my life forever. I continue to live with severe emotional trauma, including PTSD, as well as serious health challenges including COPD. I am sharing my story so people can understand the lasting impact this experience has had on my life and why I am asking for support.

Help Bob Today

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