STANDING HIS GROUND:

The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang

Joseph Zadroga (left) ignored chilly temperatures Jan. 18 during the five-hour vigil he held at Manhattan's Mount Sinai Hospital for Cesar Borja, 52, a retired NYPD officer being treated for 9/11-related pulmonary fibrosis and in dire need of a lung transplant. Mr. Zadroga called on the Federal Government to fund 'not just research, but to treat and cure these people.' His 34-year-old son, James Zadroga, died of pulmonary disease a year ago and was the first public employee whose death was definitively linked to Ground Zero toxic exposure. Joining Mr. Zadroga in his vigil were numerous first-responders, including Vito Valenti (right), a Ground Zero volunteer who also has battled serious lung ailments.