Full Breakdown
Sujo John’s 9/11 Survival, Ongoing Health Toll, and Fight Against Modern Slavery
By Drooid · · How we work
Survivor’s 9/11 Experience
On September 11 2001, Sujo John was working on the 81st floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. He recalls the impact of American Airlines Flight 11 at “the 93rd through 99th floors” and the subsequent chaos as fire and twisted steel collapsed around him. After escaping the North Tower, he learned that United Airlines Flight 175 had struck the South Tower at 9:03 a.m. He fled the concourse, heard the South Tower “imploding and going down,” and believed he would die there. Yet his cell phone later connected him with his wife, Mary, who survived despite being four months pregnant. “I’m absolutely sure that man that came and alerted me didn’t make it out of the building.” — Sujo John, human rights activist
Long-Term Health Consequences
John emphasizes that the “congested air and debris” at Ground Zero created a “toxic” environment whose effects persist. He cites a New York Post study reporting “some 57,000 people” who have responded that they have cancer, with diagnoses including thymus, stomach, bowel endocrine, and male breast cancers. These figures are presented as John’s statements about the ongoing health crisis among those exposed to the site’s dust and fumes.
From Tragedy to Anti-Trafficking Advocacy
After the attacks, John founded the global initiative You Can Free Us, which aims to combat international sex trafficking and forced labor. He describes the operation as confronting “cartels and mafias” that lure children through platforms such as Instagram and TikTok with false job offers. John’s motivation stems from his faith-based background; the email he wrote the morning of the attacks expressed a desire to serve “in ministry.”
Why Remembering 9/11 Matters
John warns that the memory of 9/11 is fading, citing the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ recent guidance for schools to avoid labeling the attacks as “terrorist.” His perspective underscores a broader concern that forgetting the attacks could diminish recognition of both the original tragedy and its lasting health and societal impacts. “We look at life on Earth in terms of years. But life on Earth is so short compared to life after this life,” — Sujo John, human rights activist
