The 9/11 Responders Remembered Park Memorial in Nesconset will add 163 names this weekend to the 1,200 who have already fallen due to a 9/11-related disease in the wake of the terror attacks.

Suffolk County Police Officer Thomas Wilson worked at Ground Zero and raked the Fresh Kills Landfill for weeks, searching for human remains.

“I saw some terrible things, but I also saw some heroic things,” Wilson told News 12.

He was later diagnosed with oral cancer and had his tongue removed. The scars Wilson carries are both mental and physical – he, like thousands of other first responders, battle each day to stay alive.

On Long Island, the number of sick first responders continues to climb with cancer claiming close to 200 lives each year.

“People are still dying. I’m grateful to be alive,” says Wilson.

Officer Wilson, who is married and has four kids, still works and refuses to go out on disability. As a member of the FealGood Foundation, he has lobbied for health care and monetary compensation for sick 9/11 first responders.

He says until he takes his last breath, he will continue to fight for his fellow responders who are struggling.

“I’m here and I’m not on that wall yet, and that's that,” says Wilson.

The addition of 163 names to the Nesconset memorial will take place on Saturday.