New York Trader Who Worked at Ground Zero After 9/11 Diagnosed With Aggressive Breast Cancer

Kristin‑Marie Pernicano, who worked on the 49th floor of Goldman Sachs across from the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, was diagnosed in November 2022 with an aggressive form of breast cancer later certified as related to her exposure at Ground Zero, she and program officials said.

Pernicano, 45, found a lump near her chest muscle that medical tests showed was a 10‑centimeter tumor with an involved lymph node. Physicians diagnosed her with triple‑positive breast cancer — tumors that test positive for estrogen and progesterone receptors and for the HER2 protein. The World Trade Center Health Program has since certified her cancer as linked to toxins released in the 9/11 attacks and the months of contaminated air that followed.

Pernicano recounted being at work on the 49th floor when the first plane hit and later walking north through soot and ash to safer ground. She returned to working in lower Manhattan in the weeks after the attacks as the area was patrolled by the National Guard. In the years following, she advanced through roles in international trading compliance and founded KMP Consulting; she also taught at New York University.

Her diagnosis and subsequent certification by the federal health program follow research showing that the dust, smoke and pollutants released by the collapse of the World Trade Center were absorbed by those present and contributed to inflammation and cellular damage that can raise cancer risk over time. The WTC Health Program, which lists roughly 140,000 members, maintains a catalog of conditions it recognizes as linked to exposure at and after the attacks.

Pernicano began treatment in January 2023. Her medical team pursued an aggressive approach that included five months of intensive chemotherapy, 25 rounds of radiation, major surgery including a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction, and a year of immunotherapy. She continues on endocrine therapy, which blocks hormones that can fuel certain breast cancers and has induced medical menopause with associated symptoms such as bone density loss, joint pain and fatigue.

Her doctors reported a stronger‑than‑expected response to treatment, a result Pernicano attributes in part to her preexisting fitness. A former national Muay Thai champion and marathon runner, she said she continued training before chemotherapy sessions when she could and tried to maintain teaching and consulting work through treatment.

Triple‑positive breast cancer accounts for about 10 percent of breast cancer cases, according to MD Anderson Cancer Center, and includes cancers that are typically aggressive but often responsive to targeted therapies. The NIH Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program notes broad survival ranges for HER2‑positive cancers — from about 47 percent to nearly 99 percent — depending on stage and spread. The American Cancer Society projects roughly 316,950 new breast cancer diagnoses and 42,170 deaths in 2025.

Pernicano described the psychological and practical upheaval of the diagnosis. "It was like my whole life got thrown into a blender," she said. She added that a radiologist’s reassurance shortly after diagnosis prompted a release of emotion. She said she channeled focus into recovery and into building products that could outlive her daily availability, launching an online Business Decoded Series to give entrepreneurs systems and tools developed over her career.

Researchers studying the long‑term health effects of the 2001 attacks have documented increased rates of certain cancers and chronic respiratory conditions among survivors, first responders and area workers. The WTC Health Program provides monitoring, treatment and compensation for certified conditions; the agency and independent researchers continue to study links between exposure and later disease.

Now in remission, Pernicano said she faces ongoing scans and the management of long‑term treatment effects but described gratitude for care and the support she received. She said certification by the WTC Health Program offers access to research, support and advocacy that she views as important for long‑term monitoring of people exposed to 9/11‑related toxins.

Her account underscores the prolonged health repercussions experienced by some who were at or near Ground Zero and the role of federal and medical programs in identifying, treating and monitoring conditions that may emerge years after such exposures. Pernicano said she intends to continue teaching and consulting while managing follow‑up care, and emphasized that while cancer altered many aspects of her life, it has not defined her future.