{"id":623,"date":"2026-05-18T11:03:03","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T11:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623"},"modified":"2026-05-18T11:03:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T11:03:03","slug":"its-just-very-painful-world-trade-center-attack-survivor-battles-frightening-illness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623","title":{"rendered":"‘It’s just very painful’: World Trade Center attack survivor battles frightening illness"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

PHOENIX \u2014 There are some memories that are too difficult for Jenn Ashcraft to speak about.<\/p>\n

Read more Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship arrives in the Netherlands for disinfection<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\u201cWe suffered in silence,” Ashcraft said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

With nowhere to be but her hospital bed, Ashcraft can’t help but think about the two tragedies that could have brought her here.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\u201cThis has been a freight train that came,” Ashcraft said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Ashcraft, 60, told 12News she survived both terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

First, in 1993, a bomb was set off below the north tower.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\u201cWe felt the impact. I literally felt my flesh move from my skeletal being, really, ” Ashcraft said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

She said she was there again when planes were flown into both towers on Sept. 11, 2001.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI was walking towards the towers. I saw the first plane hit,” Ashcraft said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Ashcraft moved to Prescott and began volunteering for the American Red Cross.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\u201cIt was a way for me to heal and to honor all of those firefighters that lost their lives,” Ashcraft said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

That’s where she met her husband, Tom Ashcraft, the father of one of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots killed while fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI spent decades organizing blood drives and giving my own blood, and I just need a little back,” Ashcraft said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Ashcraft said she’s battled ongoing health issues for the past three decades, but her condition took a turn for the worse in the past few weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\u201cMy cuticles started bleeding. My skin developed some type of an attack, which now basically now my antibodies are attacking my body,” Ashcraft said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

She told 12News she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, which she described as her body burning itself from the inside out.<\/p>\n

Read more Shaq returns to LSU for graduation, roasts Charles Barkley during commencement speech<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\u201cMy chest, my back, my face, my arms, my legs, and it\u2019s just very painful,” Ashcraft said. \u201cThey started giving me antibody replacement, which they\u2019re trying to save my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

The World Trade Center Health Program, which provides coverage for survivors and first responders with health issues connected to 9\/11, does not currently recognize autoimmune diseases. There have been recent petitions to add them to the list.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI want to help other survivors,” Ashcraft said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Ashcraft said she hopes her story highlights the challenges that so many survivors continue to face from tragedies they wish they could forget.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t go through this alone,” Ashcraft said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Ashcraft doesn’t know how much longer she’ll have to remain in the hospital. Friends are raising money to help her pay for medical expenses.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Watch 12News+ for free\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

You can now watch 12News content anytime, anywhere, thanks to the 12News+ app!\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

The free\u00a012News+\u00a0app from 12News lets users stream live events \u2014 including daily newscasts like “Today in AZ” and “12 News” and our daily lifestyle program, “Arizona Midday”\u2014on\u00a0Roku and\u00a0Amazon Fire TV.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

12News+\u00a0 showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Users can also watch on-demand videos of top stories, local politics, I-Team investigations, Arizona-specific features and vintage videos from the 12News archives.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Roku:\u00a0Add the channel from the Roku store or by searching for “12 News KPNX.”\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Amazon Fire TV: Search for “12 News KPNX” to\u00a0find the free 12News+ app to add to your account, or have the 12News+ app delivered directly to your Amazon Fire TV through Amazon.com or the Amazon app.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Up to Speed<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe today.<\/p>\n

Read more Aaron Rai becomes first English player in over a century to win PGA Championship<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX \u2014 There are some memories that are too difficult for Jenn Ashcraft to speak about. Read more Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship arrives in the Netherlands for disinfection \u201cWe suffered in silence,” Ashcraft said. With nowhere to be but her hospital bed, Ashcraft can’t help but think about the two tragedies that could have brought her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arizona"],"yoast_head":"\n'It's just very painful': World Trade Center attack survivor battles frightening illness - Scottsdale Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'It's just very painful': World Trade Center attack survivor battles frightening illness - Scottsdale Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PHOENIX \u2014 There are some memories that are too difficult for Jenn Ashcraft to speak about. Read more Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship arrives in the Netherlands for disinfection \u201cWe suffered in silence,” Ashcraft said. With nowhere to be but her hospital bed, Ashcraft can’t help but think about the two tragedies that could have brought her […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Scottsdale Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-18T11:03:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/?p=623#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/?p=623\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/42958d6a44564ad0a4456d34386abf96\"},\"headline\":\"‘It’s just very painful’: World Trade Center attack survivor battles frightening illness\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T11:03:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/?p=623\"},\"wordCount\":636,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/?p=623#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/a3488b08dd3e440fbac9162c0cf395e2.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Arizona\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/?p=623#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/?p=623\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/?p=623\",\"name\":\"'It's just very painful': World Trade Center attack survivor battles frightening illness - Scottsdale Moving Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/?p=623#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/?p=623#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/a3488b08dd3e440fbac9162c0cf395e2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T11:03:03+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/42958d6a44564ad0a4456d34386abf96\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/?p=623#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/?p=623\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/?p=623#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/a3488b08dd3e440fbac9162c0cf395e2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/a3488b08dd3e440fbac9162c0cf395e2.jpg\",\"width\":1140,\"height\":641},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/?p=623#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"‘It’s just very painful’: World Trade Center attack survivor battles frightening illness\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Scottsdale Moving Hub\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/42958d6a44564ad0a4456d34386abf96\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"'It's just very painful': World Trade Center attack survivor battles frightening illness - Scottsdale Moving Hub","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"'It's just very painful': World Trade Center attack survivor battles frightening illness - Scottsdale Moving Hub","og_description":"PHOENIX \u2014 There are some memories that are too difficult for Jenn Ashcraft to speak about. Read more Hantavirus-stricken cruise ship arrives in the Netherlands for disinfection \u201cWe suffered in silence,” Ashcraft said. With nowhere to be but her hospital bed, Ashcraft can’t help but think about the two tragedies that could have brought her […]","og_url":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623","og_site_name":"Scottsdale Moving Hub","article_published_time":"2026-05-18T11:03:03+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/42958d6a44564ad0a4456d34386abf96"},"headline":"‘It’s just very painful’: World Trade Center attack survivor battles frightening illness","datePublished":"2026-05-18T11:03:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623"},"wordCount":636,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/a3488b08dd3e440fbac9162c0cf395e2.jpg","articleSection":["Arizona"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623","url":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623","name":"'It's just very painful': World Trade Center attack survivor battles frightening illness - Scottsdale Moving Hub","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/a3488b08dd3e440fbac9162c0cf395e2.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-18T11:03:03+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/42958d6a44564ad0a4456d34386abf96"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/a3488b08dd3e440fbac9162c0cf395e2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/a3488b08dd3e440fbac9162c0cf395e2.jpg","width":1140,"height":641},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?p=623#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"‘It’s just very painful’: World Trade Center attack survivor battles frightening illness"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/","name":"Scottsdale Moving Hub","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/#\/schema\/person\/42958d6a44564ad0a4456d34386abf96","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com"],"url":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsdalemovinghub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}