story505.xml
Title
story505.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-05-03
911DA Story: Story
My cousin, Elaine Duch, was on the 88th floor of the World Trade Center, Tower One. She saw the explosion in front of her and would have been blown to bits if she had been standing a few feet forward. Instead, she was burned, more than likely, by the heat from the explosion. 77% of her body was burned, but she was able to get down from the 88th floor and out of the building. At the Cornell Burn Center, she was given a 10% chance of surviving. Now, almost 8 months later, she is a September 11 survivor.
Elaine was the next to the last person to leave the burn center after being unconscious for 3 months. CNN did a story on her recovery which you can see at http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/01/29/wtc.burn.victim/index.html
Currently, Elaine is at a rehabilitation center, and she is still unable to walk. She is facing this tragedy with courage, hope, and faith. Her strong spirit has been an inspiration to me; her experience has caused me to question the call that is made that determines one's destiny, the judgement that is made which, on the one hand saves a person from being in an explosion, but on the other hand allows the person to be burned by the heat from the explosion. What is it that makes us stand in one place and not in another.
Being concerned with the forces that determine one's fate, I decided to create a multimedia DVD with an animation and an original brain wave music composition which I am dedicating to Elaine. The DVD is designed to provide healing energy for Elaine, as well as other victims of misfortune.
"PeaceStreams" is the name of the DVD, which is scheduled to premiere at the Kennedy Center, Millennium Stage on August 1st at 6pm, in conjunction with Sonic Circuits, an international experimental, electronic music and arts festival. My wish is that Elaine will be there and that, after the DVD is premiered, I will be able to introduce her to the audience. The concert is free, and I hope all of you will be there to cheer Elaine on to walk again.
Paras Kaul
neural artist and researcher
http://www.paraswest.com
http://www.soniccircuits.com
coordinator, electronic publications
George Mason University
http://www.gmu.edu
Elaine was the next to the last person to leave the burn center after being unconscious for 3 months. CNN did a story on her recovery which you can see at http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/01/29/wtc.burn.victim/index.html
Currently, Elaine is at a rehabilitation center, and she is still unable to walk. She is facing this tragedy with courage, hope, and faith. Her strong spirit has been an inspiration to me; her experience has caused me to question the call that is made that determines one's destiny, the judgement that is made which, on the one hand saves a person from being in an explosion, but on the other hand allows the person to be burned by the heat from the explosion. What is it that makes us stand in one place and not in another.
Being concerned with the forces that determine one's fate, I decided to create a multimedia DVD with an animation and an original brain wave music composition which I am dedicating to Elaine. The DVD is designed to provide healing energy for Elaine, as well as other victims of misfortune.
"PeaceStreams" is the name of the DVD, which is scheduled to premiere at the Kennedy Center, Millennium Stage on August 1st at 6pm, in conjunction with Sonic Circuits, an international experimental, electronic music and arts festival. My wish is that Elaine will be there and that, after the DVD is premiered, I will be able to introduce her to the audience. The concert is free, and I hope all of you will be there to cheer Elaine on to walk again.
Paras Kaul
neural artist and researcher
http://www.paraswest.com
http://www.soniccircuits.com
coordinator, electronic publications
George Mason University
http://www.gmu.edu
Collection
Citation
“story505.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 29, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/12604.