actbiggy
On September 11, 2001, Firefighter Vinny Mandala’s life was only saved by pure luck and perhaps a little divine intervention.
While staying home, He picked up his sons from Blessed Sacrament School when the news of the attacks broke on television and dropped them off at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, where his wife was working as a registered nurse.
He gathered his supplies at his Brooklyn fire station, boarded a city bus with other first responders, and arrived in Lower Manhattan just after the second tower collapsed, which claimed the lives of dozens of his FDNY friends and coworkers.
Photo Credits – Respective Owner
Vinny just avoided dying on that terrible day. Still, the attacks would catch up with him 21 years later, on May 31, when he passed away, becoming the 287th member of the FDNY to pass away from a World Trade Center-related disease brought on by the rescue and recovery activities at ground zero.
He was just one month away from turning 64.
Gotten Off-Guard
The devout father and husband who went to Mass every weekend were aware of the dangers to those who were digging out the blazing wreckage. He put in three weeks straight at “The Pile,” doing 12- and 24-hour shifts.
Vinny, a fitness lover and former collegiate wrestling team captain would frequently run through Clove Lakes Park and perform a NordicTrack workout to clear his lungs after coughing up black soot, according to his widow Joan.
He was unprepared for a kidney cancer diagnosis in November 2019, but he bounced back from surgery and went back to work on light duty.
A shift in his behavior was noticed by family members two months later.
He struggled to find the proper words, Joan noticed. Furthermore, his writing was incorrect.
His brain had been affected by cancer. He had surgery on March 4, 2020, just two days after an MRI showed a tumor that was so huge.
He made a comeback, but cancer remained. He had to leave the FDNY on August 26, 2021, due to chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
According to Joan Mandala, “that was the most depressing day of his life.” Because he intended to work until he was 65, he declined to celebrate his retirement.
Vinny faced death with the same bravery that allowed him to escape burning buildings.
He comforted his wife and four boys by saying, “It’s the circle of life; this is how it works,” before dying away at home the morning following Memorial Day. “It’s just my time,”
A Silent Hero
During his 42 years in the workforce, Vinny faced certain dangerous situations, but he ignored them in favor of his family. He appreciated his time coaching Mid-Island Little League and the “Ah-ha!” moments he had while on a group chat with his sons.
His wife described him as a devout man who trusted in God. He carried around in his pocket a little figurine of a guardian angel dressed in a firefighter’s coat.
He chose to mourn in silence with Joan rather than participate in memorial activities and visited ground zero every September 11th while traveling by ferry and dressed in uniform.
He needed to be there, Joan recalled. He was concerned that people were neglecting him.
He didn’t feel angry or bitter about the pain he went through due to his FDNY work, even as his health worsened and he was put in hospice care.
Instead, he was grateful for the 21 years since 9/11 since he knew many others had less.
He assured his wife, calming her pain, “I don’t have any regrets.” “Our lives were wonderful. I wouldn’t change a thing because we were blessed.
Survivors And A Ceremony
Vincent J. Mandala is survived by his wife Joan, his four sons, Chris (Alexandra), Jimmy (Korin), Tommy (Megan), and Mark, as well as by his three brothers, Joey, Michael, and Jerry, and his sister Judi Fitzgerald. He also has two grandchildren and is expecting another two.
His name will be added to the 9/11 WTC Memorial Wall in the lobby of the Fire Department headquarters in Brooklyn during a ceremony on September 14, along with the names of 36 other FDNY firefighters who participated in the rescue and recovery operations but later fell ill and died.
