The tragedy of September 11th, was one of the motivating factors in my deciding to get healthy and ultimately have weight loss surgery. After my Dad died at 67 years old (weight related death: sleep apnea, heart failure) it began to hit home that I was probably on a similar path but when I heard the stories of people evacuating the Twin Towers on 9/11 I knew...
I sat on my bed watching the horror that morning. I remember hearing the news reports that people were having to climb down 80+ flights of narrow, dark stairs to escape the buildings. The brave firefighters, many of which lost their lives that day, were squeezing past them as they climbed up with their hoses and gear to help those trapped above the impact zone. When those evacuated eventually reached the bottom they were faced with no buses, subways, or taxis and had to continue walking to safety. I watched as hundreds walked over the Brooklyn Bridge away from the area. I began to think... What if that was me? How would I ever do that? Climb down 80 flights of stairs, squeeze past those firefighters, walk for miles. I can't walk across a parking lot without being out of breath. I can't walk the length of the mall without stopping on a bench. I knew my life had to change.
It took several years before I finally was able to make that change and a few more before I made that walk across the Brooklyn Bridge...
Every September 11th I remember the day that changed us forever as a nation, the day the best and worst of humanity was displayed, the evil, the innocent lives lost, the courage, but I also remember that day as the day that changed me forever.
