Ill 9/11 Paramedic From West Hempstead Has Girl Scout Pen Pal

WEST HEMPSTEAD, NY — Marvin Bethea was a paramedic who sustained devastating side effects from being at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001. He would go back three days later and work on the pile.

Bethea, since helping victims amid the toxic rubble, became ill. It started with post-traumatic stress disorder. In the months and years that would follow, he suffered from asthma, was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer and five weeks after 9/11, Bethea suffered a stroke.

But it would get worse for Bethea, who was forced to retire due to health issues three years after the terrorist attacks.

In 2011, he was hospitalized with a severe case of pneumonia, went into cardiac arrest and suffered another stroke. He is no longer able to swallow.

After rehabilitation at a nursing home, Bethea is back home with a feeding tube and requires round-the-clock care.

One shining light for Bethea, 61, has been his involvement with a Girl Scout troop from Bethpage. His nursing agency Bayada coordinated a program to lift his spirits.

"My pen pal is Ashlynn. She writes me a letter and I write her back," Bethea told Patch. "Someone from Bayada picks it up and gives it to her."

Having been a Cub Scout as a boy, Bethea holds a special place for the youth organizations. He hopes to meet his nine-year-old pen pal at some point.

"It's just nice to communicate with someone who heard about my 9/11 story. I just think it's a nice thing to do, to have a young friend like that," Bethea said.