Facing It: Unseen Injuries of a 9/11 First Responder

Mike Gavin thought he'd seen it all—until this Boston-based paramedic arrived in New York City on September 11, 2001 and came face-to-face with demons: past, present and future.

Facing It begins with a beat-by-beat account of this first-responder’s time in New York City, working shoulder-to-shoulder with the NYPD, FDNY, and other government agencies as they deal with the deadliest terrorist attack in American—and world—history. That was harrowing enough, but it’s as the debris clears, however, when Mike begins a personal battle trying to cope with the unforeseen after-effects of his rescue/recovery work on “the Pile,” the gigantic funereal mound that entombed the remains of the World Trade Center and nearly 3,000 innocent Americans.

Traumatized by the catastrophe in ways this once-hardened EMT and military vet never could have imagined, Mike tries desperately to stitch his life back together. Then, when he’s diagnosed with cancer linked directly to his service at the WTC site, Mike is compelled to embark on a soul-chilling personal odyssey hoping to make sense of his life before and after the attack, a journey which will prove even more alarming than what he experienced on the Pile.

Facing It is an unforgettable portrait of one man and the indomitable human spirit, a story of how we all can unleash that courage needed to face life on life’s terms. Get your copy today.