U.S. Congressman John Hall (D-19) met today with retired Peekskill Dectective Charlie Wassil who was sickened after working at Ground Zero.

Detective Wassil, who is being cared for at Bethel Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Croton-on-Hudson, suffers from advanced sarcoidosis, and recently became partially paralyzed due to the condition.

Hall visited the disabled 9/11 responder to explain the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act recently enacted in the House of Representatives. The measure has yet to be approved in the Senate. Various published reports suggest the Senate is poised to fast-track the bill in the next few weeks.

Thousands of first responders and others  were exposed to toxins at Ground Zero and are now ill as a result. They include firefighters, rescue workers, responders, police officers, construction workers and even nearby school children who breathed in the dust emanating from the rubble and toxins made airborne in the fire.

A special fundraiser is being held Sunday September 12 to raise money for  former Peekskill Police Detective Charlie Wassil.

Wassil, like many police officers and firefighters from Westchester County, answered the call of duty and spent time at Ground Zero in New York City searching for possible survivors following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

As a result of his time spent at Ground Zero, Wassil, a U.S. Marine and former NYPD officer,was forced to retire from the Peekskill PD.