A special investigator for the ASPCA who contracted breast cancer during search efforts following the 9/11 terrorist attacks has died.
Diane DiGiacomo died with her family by her side Friday at her New Jersey home, according to The New York Daily News.
The 52-year-old was previously diagnosed with cancer from toxic fumes she inhaled while rescuing cats and dogs from homes at Ground Zero.
Family members said that DiGiacomo spent her final moments pushing Congress to renew the Zadroga Act, which compensates ailing 9/11 first responders and their families.
"I feel she had a purpose. She had to get the message out before she left her loved ones," her brother Paul, vice president of the NYPD Detectives Endowment Association, told the newspaper.
Just days before her death, a judge denied her workers compensation claim. DiGiacomo was diagnosed late last year, one month after the filing deadline. The judge also contended that while she contracted the disease as a result of the conditions at Ground Zero, she didn't contract it as a direct result of the work she did there.
"Diane’s work and the nature of the work required her to respond to emergencies at the behest of her employer," her lawyer, Sean Riordan said. "It is the nature of her employment to respond to emergencies and save and rescue animals. The judge’s finding to the contrary is outrageous and a stretch."
Law enforcement officers with the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement Division, which was dissolved in 2013 after the NYPD took over its duties, were considered New York State peace officers under the New York State Criminal Procedure Law.
DiGiacomo is survived by her sister, Donna, brother, Paul and son Stephan.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
