The 'dust lady' of 9/11 dies: Iconic survivor Marcy Borders, 42, succumbs to stomach cancer

It became one of the enduring images that helped symbolize an unfathomable disaster. Marcy Borders - the woman who was photographed covered in ash and pulverized concrete as she fled the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 - died on Monday.

The 42-year-old mother-of-two, who became known as 'dust lady' because of the iconic photograph, succumbed to stomach cancer.

Her first cousin, John Borders, said his relative died of 'the diseases that (have) ridden her body since 9/11'.

Borders was first diagnosed with cancer in August 2014 and had been undergoing treatment, including chemotherapy, since then, according to NJ.com.

In November she said she believed the cancer was caused from the dust of the Twin Towers that completed covered her.

'I definitely believe it because I haven't had any illnesses,' she told NJ.com.

'I don't have high blood pressure... high cholesterol, diabetes.'

Other family members, including her brother, Michael Borders, also took to Facebook to acknowledge her passing.

Michael Borders wrote on Monday: 'I can't believe my sister is gone.'

Daily Mail