story6933.xml

story6933.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

I will always remember where I was on September 11, 2001. That day will be burned into my mind for all time. I am sure that 35 years from now, if God grants me that long of a life, I will still recall those moments and hours like it was just happening.
I work in a major hospital as a medical technologist. That day I was assigned in bank. It is usually very busy in the morning preparing crossmatches and types and screens for those going to surgery and doing the usual morning work that needs to be done. We usually keep the radio on and listen to music and news. Sometimes our radio does not come in very clearly due to so much interference from machinery that is in the lab and other areas of the hospital. That was the case that morning. Our radio was picking up static and I was trying to move the rabbit ears around to get better reception when I heard that a plane had went into the World Trade Center. My heart started pounding and I quickly told the rest of my coworkers what I had heard. Eventually other areas of the lab were hearing similar stories from their radios. A t.v. is in our pathology library and someone quickly turned it on after the announcement that a second plane had hit the towers as well. My mother called me at work to ask me if I had heard what was going on. She was quilting with some other ladies at our church building. I told her I had heard the news and quickly hung up to make my way to the library to see the events taking place. As I entered the room and saw the towers burning I remember feeling like lead had entered my legs. I had no will to move and with mounting horror I stood staring at the t.v. Many others were there watching already when I came in. As we looked on the announcement came that the pentagon had been hit also. Time seemed suspended even though we all had work to do. I went back to bank and checked to make sure there was no work coming in and it seemed as if the whole hospital had stopped. I made another trip to the library and it was during this trip that we witnessed the towers falling. Up until that time my thoughts were that people must be escaping from those buildings and those individuals on the planes must surely be gone. But as those buildings fell I began to pray to God to be with all those that were trapped in those towers unable to escape. I felt numb and sick to my soul for those that perished, families left behind and all those trying so valiantly trying to rescue others only to die. Also my thoughts began to turn to those medical institutions that were having to care for all the survivers. We are trained only slightly for horrible emergencies such as this. Yes, we get taken through emergency scenerios, but it is not like going through the real thing. Knowing that my fellow bankers would be working so hard to provide the best services that they could with surely depleted supplies made me thankful and proud to be in my profession. But sadly, as the news continued to come in on that day we learned that all the area hospitals, though prepared for the vast numbers of inviduals to come, waited in vain.
My prayer for us today is that we can learn from 9/11 and begin to learn tolerance for our fellow human beings. It begins with me and then can spread through all mankind. I know some would say this is very idealistic but I also know that through God all things are possible. May God bless and comfort all those that lost family, friends and loved ones to this horrible tragedy and may you heal knowing that many millions of voices are raised to God in prayer for you.