Northampton attorney to bike 343 miles in honor of 9/11 firefighters
A Northampton attorney and former NYPD lieutenant will join about 200 cyclists on a five-day ride from Boston to New York City to raise money for first responders still affected by the attacks.
NORTHAMPTON — Lisa Lippiello will pedal off from Fenway Park on Sunday as part of a five-day bike ride from Boston to New York City to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Lippiello, a Northampton resident and attorney, was a lieutenant with the New York City Police Department on Sept. 11, 2001, and now uses her competitive athletic background to support first responders still coping with the attacks' aftermath.
The 343-mile ride honors the 343 firefighters who died in the terrorist attacks. Cyclists will travel through south-central Massachusetts and Connecticut, concluding in New York City where a commemoration event will take place. The event, called the "9/11 Ride for Resilience," is hosted by Livestrong and benefits first responders dealing with cancer, trauma, and mental health challenges related to 9/11 exposure.
Lippiello was in Brooklyn on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, dropping her daughter at school in her police uniform. She did not immediately understand the gravity of what was unfolding around her. "I have always said that I don't think it mattered whether you were a first responder, pumping gas, babysitting or were homeless," she said. "I think after 9/11, living in New York, you just kind of reflected on — what am I doing?"
The aftermath weighed heavily on Lippiello. A plane crash in Rockaway, New York, two months after 9/11 crystallized her need to leave. "I remember feeling like, 'I can't live like this. I don't want to live like this where there's this constant anxiety,' and then that's when I started thinking, 'You know what? This is not what I want for my kid,'" she said. Two years after the attacks, she moved to the Pioneer Valley, attended law school, and raised her two daughters.
Approximately 200 cyclists are participating in the ride, each with their own connection to 9/11. Lippiello had raised approximately $4,700 as of Aug. 31. Livestrong partners with the New York-based nonprofit Friends of Firefighters and the Boston Fire Cancer Foundation for the fundraiser.
The health toll from 9/11 continues to climb. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks, but more than 96,000 have since been diagnosed with physical or mental health conditions from exposure to dust, smoke, debris, and traumatic events, according to the World Trade Center Health Program. "There are still many, many first responders that are dying from the attacks 25 years ago, when they develop cancer or breathing issues and things like that," Lippiello said.
Lippiello hopes the ride will help younger generations understand the ongoing impact of 9/11. "I needed the distance to heal and everybody does it in a different way," she said. People can donate to Lippiello's fundraising page through Livestrong's website.