Yesterday I worked my normal shift as a dentist. The whole day I just did not feel like myself. I can’t quite pinpoint it but I just felt off. I went about my day, ended my shift, watched a movie with Tay Tay, got the kids ready for school the next day and then scrolled on Facebook. I came across this and realized(without realizing it all day) why I was so glum. It read:
Today is 9/11, a day that will forever go down in our history. On September 11, 2001, I was in my second year of dental school at the University of Pennsylvania. Like most 2nd year students, I pulled an all nighter for a test. Every morning before school, I turned on the Today Show and at the instant they were showing what looked like a small plane going into a building. Honestly it looked like a small plane and I thought, “Wow.. I feel bad for the pilot and passenger on what looked to be a small plane.” I turned it off thinking that is was an accident but accidents like this happen every day. I pulled out my flash cards and called a taxi to go the 6 blocks to school because I could barely keep my eyes open. My test was at 9 AM and then I was free to sleep the rest of the day. When I got there, my life and the life of the whole nation changed in all of a mere second.
When I entered the school our dean told everyone to go to the basement where our lunch room was. I had no idea what was going on, all I know was there was a television in there that showed a plane going into a building. But now there was a sign on the screen saying BREAKING NEWS: A PLANE GOES INTO TOWER ONE OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. After completely staring at it numb, I heard so many words that all just jumbled themselves together in my mind- NYC, terrorism, World Trade Center. Then I kept watching it more numb and I heard more words- Pentagon, Pennsylvania, Boston, American Airlines, Tower 2, Lower Manhattan. School was then dismissed for the day.
The next few hours were a blur. My dad worked in NYC, my sister was attending NYU, and my best friend worked in the trade center district. I tried calling my mom, my sister, my best friend’s mom on repeat for hours. All the lines were cut and I could not reach anyone. I kept calling…kept hearing a dead line. Finally I reached my mom who told me my sister and dad were safe and were boarding a boat to come to New Jersey. They cut off all forms of transportation out of NYC except for essential vehicles, which was absolutely the correct decision. The very next day I found out my girlfriend was safe but it took a day of no sleep to find this out. Then this past year, my other best friend who went to Dental School with me, married a police officer who was stationed at the Trade Center Site. Thank you Chris for your service that day!
While my family and friends were safe, many were not. So many in fact.
This is a day of dread but also a day of hope for our country. We, as Americans went through this horrific event and we grew as a country. On this day, I just want to send my thoughts to all the victims of this day and also a huge thank you from me to the first responders, EMT, doctors, police officers, military, and many more who continue to be there for our country and took the vow of oath to continue doing this for our country for many years to come. You all are true heroes in the face of evil.
9/11 is a day that we will never forget…..