Marcy Borders (July 19, 1973 – August 24, 2015) was an American legal assistant who worked for Bank of America at its branch located in the World Trade Center North Tower and survived its collapse, following the attacks on September 11, 2001.
[1] Stan Honda, a photographer for Agence France-Presse, captured an image of Borders, completely covered in dust from the building collapse, that subsequently became widely described as "iconic".
A resident of Bayonne, New Jersey, the 28 year-old Borders had recently started a job with Bank of America as a clerical assistant.
[2] When American Airlines Flight 11 hit the tower, her supervisor thought it might have been a small jet plane that nipped the building.
The plane hit 12 stories above them, and Borders and her colleagues could feel the building shaking, and see chairs and office supplies falling out the windows.
She alleged that her cancer was triggered by the toxic dust she was exposed to when the World Trade Center collapsed, having once stated, "I definitely believe it because I haven't had any illnesses.