Five days after the Sept. 11 attacks, while working at ground zero, an 8,000 lb. piece of steel fell on Feal’s foot, crushing it. He became septic and almost died. Feal turned to activism when he was denied medical compensation by the government, and successfully lobbied for the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act for other first responders. “About 2,000 people have died because of their illnesses,” Feal says. “They too are heroes.”