Hernando man reflects on wife, unborn baby and cousin lost in 9/11 attacks: ‘It feels like it was yesterday’
HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. - September 11, 2001, feels like yesterday for a Hernando County man who lost his wife, unborn child and cousin in the terrorist attacks.
The man, who did not want his name or their names to be printed, said that morning started off like any other day.
"We went to the city," he said. "She went work. I went to work and that's the last time I saw her."
He says September 11, 2001, started like any other day.
He said he heard from his wife shortly after she got to work. She told him there was some kind of explosion on a nearby floor.
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He said she and her coworkers went up to a restaurant on the 106th floor to get away from the smoke and wait for help.
She left him a chilling voicemail at 8:54 a.m., the last time he heard from her.
"I'm okay. We're on the 106th floor of the World Trade Building," she said in the voicemail. "I don't know how I can get out. I love you. If anything happens, I'm sorry, I'm so scared. Please tell everybody that I love them, okay."
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"She was seven months pregnant," the Hernando County man said. "We were expecting to have a baby."
In addition to losing his wife and unborn baby, his cousin also worked on the 101st floor of the World Trade Center and died in the attacks.
He says 9/11 is a day that cuts deeply for him and never gets easier.
"It's a painful day," he said. "It's a reminder of that day that happened. It feels like it happened yesterday every time you see all the images on TV. It's just a very, very sad day."
He says looking at photos of who he lost helps him get through the difficult times and painful anniversaries.