Rudy Giuliani: 9/11 Toxins Behind Health Crisis

( Newsmax )

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Thursday forwarded a social media post confirming that his current hospitalization is related to events at Ground Zero on 9/11.

Giuliani, 81, shared a post from Dr. Maria Ryan explaining that the former mayor developed restrictive airway disease after spending months at the World Trade Center site following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"On 9/11 @RudyGiuliani ran to the towers to assist and lead," Ryan wrote on X. "While there one of the towers fell and he was trapped. Upon emerging from the building he was covered by white dust."

Ryan said Giuliani later developed chronic breathing problems tied to toxic exposure at Ground Zero and that a recent bout of human metapneumovirus worsened his condition.

"He lives with difficulty breathing every day," Ryan wrote. "Recently he got a virus, metapneumovirus that overwhelmed his already compromised 9/11 lungs."

Ryan added that Giuliani remains hospitalized but is aware of the prayers and support pouring in from across the country.

"He is a deeply religious man. Keep the prayers coming!" she wrote.

Giuliani has been released from the intensive care unit but remains hospitalized as he recovers from pneumonia.

His spokesman, Ted Goodman, said Giuliani and his family appreciate the "outpouring of love and prayers" from supporters.

Giuliani rose to international prominence for his leadership after the Sept. 11 attacks, earning the nickname "America's Mayor" as he guided New York City through one of the darkest periods in its history.

In the aftermath of the attacks, Giuliani spent extensive time at Ground Zero alongside firefighters, police officers, and recovery crews as toxic dust and debris filled the air in lower Manhattan.

Thousands of first responders and workers later developed respiratory illnesses and other long-term health problems tied to exposure at the site, according to federal health officials and advocacy groups.

Giuliani's recovery has been described as "nothing short of a miracle" after he was hospitalized with severe respiratory distress caused by double pneumonia.

Sources close to the former mayor told Newsmax that doctors initially considered his condition life-threatening.

Despite the health scare, Giuliani is reportedly eager to return to television and continue publicly defending President Donald Trump, whom he has supported for years.

Trump also weighed in on Giuliani's illness earlier this week, posting on Truth Social that Giuliani is "a True Warrior" and "the Best Mayor in the History of New York City, BY FAR."

Giuliani has remained one of Trump's most outspoken allies since endorsing him during the 2016 presidential campaign.

In recent years, he has also served as a Newsmax contributor, and his podcast is carried on Newsmax2.

Those close to Giuliani say doctors remain optimistic about his recovery as he continues treatment and rehabilitation in the hospital.