Survivor's Story: Reflections from 9/11

A 9/11 survivor recently posted a video on social media recounting her experience during the September 11, 2001, terror attacks while she was on the 84th floor of one of the towers.

Nana, a Bronx native, stirred significant attention with her vivid description of the events on the upper floors as the opposite tower began to collapse. "People around me continued to work as if nothing had happened," she recalls, describing the routine of those trading stocks and bonds. "Instead of looking for a way out, they were completely oblivious."

At just 21, Nana worked on the 84th floor. "We lost 61 colleagues," she shared in the video, touching the hearts of thousands. "Many tried to help and guide others to safety, but there were also many who just kept working, kept trading stocks. I know this because I was involved in bond transactions. They kept trading, and sometimes money takes precedence. You're not thinking straight. They stood there trading and lost their lives."

Nana also mentioned that each September 11th, for the past 20 years, she takes a day off work to remember the victims, some of whom she knew personally.

"Even though many bodies were never found in the rubble, we hold memorials every year, and I do not work on that day," she explained, marking the 20th anniversary of the tragedy, noting how those colleagues who survived now view money differently. "Many of us realized that the people who stayed behind trading thought the building was across the street, on the other side. You think it won't affect you. You keep chasing after the money, the stock portfolio, and then, boom, your life is over."

In the video, Nana shared that she fled the tower as soon as she saw the building across the street fall. "I had to walk for eight hours until I got home. I was covered in dust, that white powder. I had to walk eight hours to the Bronx, and when I arrived, I found there was no cell service. I called everyone I knew from a landline to reassure them I was okay. Hearing my voice, they broke down and cried."

Nana recounted how her life changed completely, and now she lives each day to the fullest, irrespective of money. "Don't get me wrong. It’s nice to have a high salary, but at the end of the day, money doesn’t make you happy; it’s how you feel inside. If you feel secure, you feel good. I can earn $15 an hour and live a happy life. You see what I mean? Since that day, I live my life knowing that money isn’t happiness."