story5012.xml

story5012.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I was at my job in the Emergency Department of a local hospital. It wasn't a very busy morning so I stepped outside to enjoy a few minutes of that gorgeous morning. I walked back into the ER through the triage area and stopped to catch the latest news on the Today Show and was struck dumb by what I saw. After the attack had registered, I immediately thought of my brother-in-law who was working somewhere in Manhattan, exactly where I did not know. I spent all that morning waiting and watching the unfolding horror, not knowing. I was not the only one. My family and I are lucky, our brother was not close enough to be injured. Our hearts and prayers go out to those who were not so fortunate. The ER, in which I worked, was put on high alert, expecting the influx of casualties especially burns (the hospital is a regional burn center) that never arrived. The realization that we would not be needed was a reality that was hard to face. I will never forget that feeling of total helplessness.