Long Island vigil remembers 9/11 hero Luis Alvarez

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Just two days after the nation mourned the lives lost on September 11, Long Islanders gathered in Oceanside to pay their respect to fallen NYPD bomb squad Detective Luis Alvarez.

Alvarez, who spent weeks digging through debris at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the attacks, was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2016. 

The day before his 69th round of chemotherapy, he testified before Congress in Washington, D.C. alongside Jon Stewart urging politicians to reauthorize the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.

Alvarez lost his battle with cancer on June 29th, and one month later, President Donald Trump signed a bill extending the Victim Compensation Fund through 2090. 

Now, in memory of Alvarez’s strength and tenacity, his family is encouraging others to live through his selfless spirit.