Years later, she understood the full health impact of 9/11 as some fellow students got cancer and her own asthma worsened, she said. Many first responders and those in the area who survived the initial destruction of the World Trade Center later developed diseases that have been linked to the toxic dust that was stirred up. In 2006, Nordstrom started StuyHealth, an advocacy focused on helping young adults get access to the same healthcare that first responders received.