Marcy Borders 'The Dust Lady' of 9/11 dies

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Marcy Borders, covered in dust from the crumbling Twin Towers, was photographed by AFP photographer Stan Honda on Sept. 11, 2001. Borders died Aug. 24, 2015 after battlling stomach cancer. (AFP/AP)

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Marcy Borders, the New Jersey woman who was photographed covered in dust as she escaped from the collapsing Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, has died at the age of 42. Borders fought stomach cancer for several years before succumbing to the disease. Her gripping photo, taken by AFP photographer Stand Honda, became a lasting reminder of the terror attacks on the United States.

In 2002, Borders told Fox News that she was traumatized by the attack and struggled to cope with her sudden fame from that deadly day.

"When I saw it, I was like: 'Oh my God, I really don't like the image America sees. It shows me,'" she said at the time. "I might have been asking God: 'What do I do? What's going on? What's happening?' It shows fear. People look at this picture and see elegance. I don't see it."

Borders battled severe depression and an addiction to crack cocaine before checking into rehab in April 2011. She was diagnosed with stomach cancer in August 2014 and underwent chemotherapy. Borders told the Jersey Journal last year that she wondered whether her illness could be attributed to the attack.