9/11 Animal Rescuer Dies 4 Days After Judge Denies Her Workers' Comp Claim

By ERIC KIEFER

A beloved emergency responder who helped to search for abandoned pets in the wake of the 9/11 attacks died of cancer on Friday, only four days after a state judge denied her workers compensation claim.

Brooklyn native and ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement Officer Diane DiGiacomo — whom some readers may recognize as a recurring guest on the reality TV show “Animal Precinct” — passed away on Nov. 20 at her sister’s home in Lyndhurst, according to the Staten Island Advance.

DiGiacomo, a single mother, is survived by her son, two sisters and a brother.

During her career, she worked in all five boroughs of New York City for almost two decades, investigating reports of animal abuse and cruelty, arresting suspected abusers and rescuing abused and sick animals, the Staten Island Advance reported.

When tragedy struck on Sept. 11, 2001, DiGiacomo was assigned to search for abandoned animals in homes and apartments in restricted and evacuated areas around the World Trade Center site, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP).

DiGiacomo spent three months in the immediate area around Ground Zero participating in the operation and other recovery tasks, the ODMP stated.

According to the ODMP obituary — which the NJ SPCA shared via social media — DiGiacomo died as the result of cancer that developed following prolonged exposure to toxic materials while conducting search and rescue operations.

“The contamination in the air at the World Trade Center site caused many rescue personnel to become extremely ill, and eventually led to the death of several rescue workers,” the ODMP states. “[DiGiacomo] developed a cancer that was directly attributed to her exposure to the toxic air in the area.”

In 2014, DiGiacomo’s doctors diagnosed her with breast cancer, which eventually metastasized to her brain, the Staten Island Advance reported.

Despite DiGiacomo’s cancer diagnosis, on Nov. 16, a New York state judge denied her workers’ compensation claim as she lay confined to her bed and weighing 60 pounds, according to the New York Daily News.

“In his Monday ruling, Judge Marc Grodsky says there is “no dispute in the medical evidence” that DiGiacomo’s breast cancer developed at least in part due to her exposure to the site’s toxic fumes,” the NY Daily News wrote.

Grodsky added that DiGiacomo’s illness was not an “occupational disease” because the exposure did not “derive from the very nature” of her work as an animal rescuer, the Daily News stated.

“Rather, her exposure arose from ‘an environmental condition specific to the place of work,’ ” Grodsky wrote. “The dust and particulates were a result of the environmental conditions in the area in the aftermath of the attack. If she was doing her job in a different area, there would be no exposure.”

DiGiacomo passed away four days after the judge’s ruling.

REMEMBERING AN ANIMAL LOVER

The announcement of DiGiacomo’s death spurred an outpouring of condolences and mourning on the ODMP website.

“Rest with God Investigator DiGiacomo… your tour here is over and you are home and happy,” wrote Bob Lester, a retired police officer with the Midland Texas Police Department. “Your dedicated years and suffering from the cancer caused by your selfless exposure to toxic air around the WTC, and tragic loss of your life in protecting others and animals will never be forgotten.”

“God bless this incredible and selfless lady,” another mourner wrote. “I have no rank to speak of and I never had the pleasure of meeting her, yet she was known to animal lovers across the Atlantic in the UK.”

“It was my honor to work with Diane at The ASPCA,” wrote Hedy Litke, one of DiGiacomo’s co-workers at the ASPCA. “The most caring and compassionate person, she cared for animals and worked to right the wrongs done to them. She will be missed by so many. Rest in peace Diane. May the animals you saved be there to greet you.”