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[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
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and for a more detailed list of content warnings please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our
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website at 9:12 a.m. on Tuesday September 11 2001 24-year-old Wells krather left a voicemail for his
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mother speaking calmly he said Mom this is Wells I wanted you to know that I'm okay 9 minutes earlier a hijacked
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commercial aircraft had been deliberately flown into the South Tower of New York City's World Trade Center
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marking the second major catastrophe that morning 17 minutes earlier its neighboring twin Skyscraper the North
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Tower had been similarly hit the 110 story south tower was struck between floors 77 and 85 several floors
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beneath the office where Wells Crowther worked as an equities Trader after Wells phoned his mother to let her
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know he was alive he raced down to the sky Lobby on the 78th floor the tip of the plane's Wing had
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torn through the space leaving burning Carnage in its wake a group of Dazed and frightened survivors huddled at a bank
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of damaged elevators nursing injuries ranging from Burns and broken bones to cracked ribs and punctured
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lungs Wells immediately took control of the chaotic situation and directed the survivors to an emergency stairwell that
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led to the ground level carrying one woman on his back he guided the group down over a dozen floors before urging
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them to go on without him he then headed back upstairs by the time Wells made it back
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to the 78th floor the area was overcome by thick dark smoke he stripped it down to his T-shirt pulled a red bandana from
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his pocket and secured it over nose and mouth so that he could breathe Wells navigated through the
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debris until he came across more injured survivors he retrieved extinguishers to
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put out the surrounding Flames before administering first aid he then calmly announced everyone who can stand stand
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now if you can help others do so Wells led the group to the stairwell as they rushed out onto the
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street Wells remained in the tower to continue helping others at 9:59 a.m. 56 minutes after the
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plane's initial impact the South Tower collapsed it was followed 29 minutes later by the North
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Tower in the aftermath of 9/11 stories from survivors surfaced about a mysterious man who had sacrificed his
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life to rescue them in the South Tower they recalled the distinct red bandana he had worn across his face
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which earned him the title The Man in the red bandana when Allison kther read an
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article about the brave young man in the New York Times she immediately knew who
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it was as a child Wells Crowther watched his father Jeff get ready for church Jeff kept a comb handy which he
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wrapped in a blue bandanna tucked into his right hip pocket one day Jeff gave his son his own
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bandana in his preferred color of red it quickly became wells's trademark he wore it under his sports
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uniforms in high school and had it on him throughout his travels after graduation as he entered the corporate
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world Wells kept his lucky bandanna at his desk or in his back right pocket of his
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pants when his colleagues asked why Wells would reply with this red bandana I'm going to
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change the world when shown photographs of Wells Crowther the survivors confirmed he was the man
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who had saved them wells's remains were recovered 6 months into to the extensive
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cleanup of Ground Zero he was found alongside the bodies of firefighters and Emergency Services
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Personnel who had been operating a Command Center in the South tow ground Lobby it was believed that Wells had
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joined the other Rescuers as they were preparing to free those trapped above before everything came crashing
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down courage Duty and Care had been a major part of Well's character throughout his life while he loved
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working in the World Trade Center he hoped to one day get a job helping others directly in the meantime he was a fully
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trained volunteer firefighter and used those skills to save as many as 18 lives in the South
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Tower speaking about Wells One Survivor said people can live 100 years and not have
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the compassion the wherewithal to do what he did stories of Well's actions on 9/11
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helped his loved ones heal after the tragedy they established the Well's Cowa charity trust an organization that
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Awards young people who serve their communities they hoped that wells's story would Inspire others to be more
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altruistic in their day-to-day lives his mother Alis said we took a great peace in knowing
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that Wells up until the end was being very courageous doing what he wanted to do he must have felt very fulfilled that
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day knowing he was helping others [Music] in the wake of 9/11 an organization was
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founded called the World Trade Center United families Group which aimed to help those affected by the attacks
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reconstruct their lives the group was primarily for the families of those who died in the
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tragedy but survivors were also encouraged to join and seek support the group's online Forum offered
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individuals a place where they could speak to fellow survivors who understood firsthand what they were going through
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inside their online community survivors were met with empathy understanding and comaraderie as they bonded over their
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Collective trauma they shared their harrowing stories and helped each other overcome
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immense feelings of grief guilt and regret on Tuesday May 13 2003 20 months after 9/11 a post was uploaded on the
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survivors Forum by a new user it read I am only starting to feel the consequences now despite having tried so
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hard to put it all behind me I don't sleep I see and hear the images and sounds I'm Moody my Stress and Anxiety
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have skyrocketed and a variety of other things for so long I pretended to be okay that it is now hard to to admit
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this is actually happening I think I need to talk to someone about this and tell my story but I don't see how I will
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manage that going through at once was more than enough the user signed their post off
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with their name Tanya head Tanya's post elicited supportive comments from other survivors who
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welcomed her to the group and encouraged her to share her story they explained that their Forum was a
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safe non-judgmental and cathartic space to discuss all aspects of 9/11 Tanya was praised for the courage
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it took for her to come forward the group awaited her opening up to them when she was
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ready Tanya sporadically posted on the Forum throughout May and June she was 28 years old and originally from Spain but
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had immigrated to the US during her youth by 2001 she was working for the distinguished investment management
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company meril Lynch in the World Trade Center's south tower like others she was struggling
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immensely in the aftermath of the attack while she maintained a happy disposition in real life internally she
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was suffering she rarely left her apartment and whenever she closed her eyes she was plagued by images of
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crashing planes crumbling buildings and mangled bodies little things like the sounds of planes overhead or the flicker
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of a candle flame triggered frightening memories depression and panic attacks prevented Tanya from returning to work
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and had contributed to her gaining weight while she was grateful for the support the other survivors showed her
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she wasn't ready to share her full story just yet in June members of The Forum organized a visit to the remains of the
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Twin Towers the area was coined off as cleanup efforts were still underway but they intended to stand outside the
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barricade to reflect and grieve in each other's company Tanya had initially accepted the
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invitation but on the night before it was due to take place she phoned one of the organizers to cancel she said she
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was still fragile and wasn't ready for survivors of 9/11 the road to recovery was fraught with
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difficulties priority was given to those who died and the loved ones they'd left
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behind in contrast survivors were regarded as the lucky ones and were expected to be grateful that they still
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had their lives some felt their suffering was overlooked or misunderstood by the
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general public media and government this feeling was Amplified when an invite only event was held at
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Ground Zero to Mark the 2-year anniversary of the attacks and some of the survivors were turned
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away in fact none of the survivors had ever been permitted to access the site unlike the
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families of those who had passed efforts to arrange a private tour were also denied adding to ongoing
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feelings of invisibility for many survivors survivors vented their growing frustrations online with a lot of their
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tensions directed towards the World Trade Center United families group one morning Tanya head logged into
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the forum and suggested of the two groups split they could create their own online support group completely
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independent of the United families Tanya wrote I think it's important that we stick
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together other users agreed and by that afternoon they had established the World
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Trade Center survivors Forum within their new online space users were able to open up like never
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before the switch appeared to liberate Tenya who began posting more on this forum than she had the
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original eventually she felt comfortable to recount her personal Story of Survival Tanya said she was cheering a
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meeting in a conference room on the 96th floor of the South Tower when the first
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plane hit the North Tower Tanya and her colleagues flocked to the windows where they observed the large smoking crater
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the aircraft had left in the neighboring sky I scraper survivors of the impact emerged
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from the debris and clung to the crater's edge waving and crying out for help as explosive Flames inched closer
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behind them facing a terrible fiery death the survivors took matters into their own
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hands some attempted to scale down the building to safety While others jumped or fell to their
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deaths it was a confronting and distressing sight that would haunt T forever Tanya used her mobile phone to
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call her fiance David but the line was busy a message was then relayed over the South Tower's public address system
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urging occupants to stay put the collision at the North Tower was believed to be an isolated incident and
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no one else was thought to be in any danger despite this reassuring message Tanya decided to leave she made her way
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to the Bank of elevators in the sky Lobby on the 78th floor where an anxious crowd had already
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formed Panic said in and the crowd began pushing closer to the elevator doors Tanya recalled hearing one man
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yell ladies this is not the Titanic it's not women and children first then a hysterical voice cried out
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there's another plane coming there's another plane coming the deafening Roar of the approaching
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jet grew As It sped towards the South Tower within seconds the plane made contact and erupted into a powerful
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Fireball its wings shattered through the walls and collapsed the ceiling Tanya felt a tremendous increase
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in pressure all the air in her lungs was sucked out and for a moment it seemed as
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though she was flying through the air then everything went black after recounting this experience to the
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World Trade Center survivors Forum Tanya stopped I find it very hard to talk about what happened afterward she
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[Music] admitted the community rallied around tya until she felt comfortable to open
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up a little more she recalled that after being knocked unconscious by the impact of the
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South Tower Collision she woke up under a broken slab of marble that had once been part of a
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wall several fires illuminated the devastation around her lying alongside Tanya was a colleague who had been
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decapitated other mangled and Char bodies were scattered about while the weary voices of survivors cried out in
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the darkness smoke burned T's lungs thick dust almost blinded her and pain radiated through her body
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she agonized over the realization that this moment was going to be her last just as taner accepted her fate
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someone began hitting her on the back each thud brought her immense pain she begged the person to stop only to
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realize that her clothes were on fire and a man was using a jacket to Pat out the
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Flames a red bandana covered the lower half of his face but tya could see his Brown eyes were
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kind just stay awake he told her the man said he was going to show Tanya the way out reassured by his calm
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presence Tanya mastered the strength to pull herself out from under the rubble that's when she noticed that her
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right arm was severely burnt and hanging from her body by a thread of senu she tucked it into her jacket to
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keep it together the man in the red bandana supported Tanya as they climbed and crawled through the
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wreckage each movement brought Tanya agonizing pain and she doubted she could go
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on her rescuer encouraged her by saying just keep moving along the way the pair came
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across a badly burnt man gasping for air Tanya knelt beside him and he handed her something small and
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hot it was a gold wedding ring inscribed with a woman's name and the word forever please give this to my wife he
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begged I'll find her and I'll give it to her Tanya replied just as she placed the ring into
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her pocket the man took his final breath Tanya proceeded onwards with the man in the red
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bandana they eventually reached the door to an emergency stairwell where the man
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placed his hand on Tanya's shoulder and said go you can do this Tanya's mind raced with thoughts of
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her life her family her fiance and their upcoming wedding compelled to power on she began
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her descent the man helped her down each painful step until the smoke cleared and
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the rest of the way became clear he removed his bandana looked at Tanya resolutely and reassured her that
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she would be safe just keep going down I have to go back up and help other people he said
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before heading back towards the wrecked Sky Lobby Tanya hobbled down until the pain
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exhaustion and blood loss became too much and she passed out she was soon stirred awake by a firefighter who told
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her we're leaving here together he carried Tanya down the remaining 20 floors and out onto the
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street they had barely made it out when the ground began to shake the thunderous sound of crushing
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concrete and metal filled the air people all around began running away in panic Tanya was thrust under a fire
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truck just as the South Tower collapsed behind her her next memory was waking in
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hospital 5 days later her arm had been reattached but she would only ever have partial use of it and the burns GS would
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remain Tanya's distraught parents were by her side where's Dave she asked Tanya's fiance David worked for a
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consulting firm on the 100th floor of the North Tower she would come to learn that he
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didn't make [Music] it Tanya head's survival was nothing short of incredible in the North Tower the plane
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had hit between floors 93 and 98 in a manner that decimated all forms of Escape at the crash side and above over
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1300 people died there were no survivors it might have been a similar outcome in the South Tower had it not
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been for two special circumstances firstly the emergency stairwell was far enough from the Impact
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Zone to remain usable secondly the man in the red bandana Wells Crowther Survivor Ling young described
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Wells as their Guardian Angel saying without him we would be sitting there waiting until the building came
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down Tanya head was one of the lucky few saved by Wells that day but the loss of
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her fiance in the North Tower made her experience uniquely devastating she was the only person to
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be both a tower survivor of the 9/11 attack and a bereaved family member of a life it
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[Music] claimed Tanya's extraordinary story soon caught the attention of Jerry bogaz a
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planning director for the New York metropolitan Transportation Council Jerry had fled from the North
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Tower before it collapsed but several members of his team had stayed behind and died in their devastating aftermath
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Jerry spearheaded several in-person survivors meetings throughout the city as a means of
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support it was through these that he learned about Tanya head and was in awe of her
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story he reached out to Tanya online and the two bounded over their shared ordeal like Jerry Tanya was using her
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struggles as motivation to help others she said it gave her the will to live Jerry was struck by Tanya's optimism and
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resilience despite all she had lost he invited her to attend one of his meetings set for Saturday January 24
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2004 and she willingly accepted while no one in any of the Survivor circles had met Tenya in real
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life yet everyone knew her story and she'd become somewhat of a celebrity among them but didn't relish the
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attention when she attended Jerry baz's meeting the other guests found her to be
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unassuming and shy while she was responsive and grateful for their support she was happy
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to sit quietly as the meeting took place around her Jerry bogas spoke of his vision to
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create a nonprofit organization specifically for 9/11 survivors that would help Empower individuals to find
00:22:25
renewed purpose the organiz ization intended to implement a day of recognition titled
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survivors day and aimed to finally get survivors access to Ground Zero from there they hoped to provide
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input on a memorial for the site the group settled on a name the World Trade Center survivors
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Network Tanya suggested that the network joined forces with her online group the
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survivors Forum Not only would they have more political clout with greater numbers
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they could also share the arduous task of identifying and reaching out to the thousands of people who had survived
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9/11 to offer their support by the end of the meeting Tenya had come out of her shell and was
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fiercely determined that night she sat at her computer contacting an array of people
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who could help the network and its members 6 weeks later Tanya sent a an email to the survivors Network
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announcing good news she had contacted the World Trade Center site supervisor and after years of inexplicable
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rejection she had successfully negotiated a private visit to Ground Zero the group was
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elated the tour took place on Friday May 14 2004 with 20 survivors opting to take
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part unlike those around her this was not A's first visit to Ground Zero because her fiance had died in the
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attacks she had gone on one of the first Private Tours held for family members of
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the deceased this new opportunity allowed Tanya to focus on comforting her companions who were eternally thankful
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for what she had done after being granted access to the 16 Acre Site the survivors were
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permitted to descend a ramp to the bottom of the pits where each Tower had once stood
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it was a confronting and somber experience that fueled varied emotions some felt a sense of peace and
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closure While others grappled with oppressive sadness Tanya spoke of feeling David's
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presence all around [Music] her in stories about her fiance Tanya detailed how they had fortuitously met
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outside the World Trade Center in February 199 9 the pair had finished work in their
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respective Towers when they headed out onto the street Heavy Rain was pelting across the city so t beelined for a cab
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idling nearby just as she went to hop in a man slipped into the back seat from the
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opposite side he was handsome with a radiant smile and striking blue green eyes he offered her the cab on the
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condition that she' take his business card and call him his name was David and at 24 years old
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he was 2 years younger than Tanya and worked for a consulting firm in the North Tower offended by his bold arrogance
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Tanya had no intention of calling him 2 weeks later Tanya was in the World Trade Cent's Concourse when David tapped
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her on the shoulder and remarked I never should have let you have that cab because you never called
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flustered ten agreed to a quick coffee date the pair spent the next 3 hours chatting David spoke of his love for the
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outdoors his selfless charity work and his plans for the future Tanya told him about her
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privileged upbringing in Barcelona that led to her business tycoon father uprooting her family to the
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US despite her inherited entitlements and wealth Tanya grew to be a humble and compassionate person with an enthusiasm
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for social activism at age 17 she was recruited by the number one International Management
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School in the world she was accepted early into Harvard University for an undergraduate degree before earning a
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graduate business degree from Stanford University this helped her secure a job with meral Lynch in the South
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Tower when Tanya had to pull herself away for a work meeting David insisted I have to see you
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again a whirlwind fairy tale romance followed according to Tanya David was the type of guy who everybody
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loved nicknamed Big Dave he was a stickler for time could recite all the lines from the film Braveheart and had a
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habit of misplacing things but what Tanya loved most about David was his sensitive side he always
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put others first as evident in his volunteer work at a soup kitchen he was also a hopeless romantic the type to
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serenade tenure in public and recite poetry to her he loved children and wanted several of his own to Tanya he
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was almost too good to be true given that money wasn't a problem for either of them the couple were able
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to travel overseas and by a beach house in the Hamptons they eventually settled into a
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luxurious New York apartment with a golden retriever they named Elvis their love story culminated in a
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dinner at the top of the North Tower where David proposed they planned a high society
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wedding with 500 guests for early October 2001 but the preparations weren't smooth
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sailing Tanya found herself exasperated by the influence David's mother had on every decision which resulted in the
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couple arguing almost every day just as Tanya was starting to have doubts she returned home to their
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apartment to find a trail of rose pedals leading to the dining room there David was waiting in a
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coconut bra and grass skirt dancing the hola a spread of Hawaiian dishes adorned
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the table all prepped by David himself he revealed that he had purchased them two tickets to Hawaii
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leaving the next day the pair spent the next few days in a Grand Resort in Maui typically
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reserved for celebrities while there David surprised Tanya with an elaborate and picturesque
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wedding ceremony he had organized entirely by himself right down to her dress it was a magical experience but
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the pair still intended to go through with their official wedding in New York on Tuesday September 11 2001 Tanya
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arrived at work in a tense mood she and David had argued that morning over another Petty grievance
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something she would come to regret as their final encounter yet it was thoughts of him and
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their upcoming wedding that had given her the courage to escape from the south tower writing about it on the survivors
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forum she recalled I wanted to wear that white dress and swear my love for him in front of
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friends and family I wanted to have his children I believe today that he stopped
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to give me the strength to get out of there on his way to heaven years later as Tanya stood in the
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pits where the Twin Towers once stood she remined on these moments among the flowers and cards
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other survivors had placed she left a letter to David that detailed how much she loved and missed
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[Music] him at the end of the survivor's visit to Ground Zero the group encircled tya
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and showered her with gratitude thanks to her they had taken a much needed step forward on their
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healing Journey Tanya smiled kindly but later confided in a FR that the visit had been
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very hard for her seeing the pain of her fellow survivors was heart-wrenching and
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she was now grieving for David even more she intended to visit David's childhood town where a memorial garden
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was constructed in his honor although Tanya explained that it would be hard to see his name etched in
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stone and she knew she'd cry for days afterwards she was just glad he was being recognized she appreciated David's
00:31:23
family whom she stayed close with and visited often tya vented to her friend about another
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issue she was dealing with anyone who applied to join the survivors Forum was automatically accepted as the group
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trusted in people's good faith yet one member began making some suspicious posts that led the group to
00:31:46
deduce he wasn't a 9/11 Survivor at all but had made up his story for attention tener expressed discomfort
00:31:56
that the fraudster had been reading their personal posts he had since been banned and policies were enacted that
00:32:03
led tya to believe it wouldn't happen again she wrote to her friend I mean who would want to fake
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being a World Trade Center Survivor right Tanya was happy to sacrifice her time to continue advocating for the
00:32:19
World Trade Center survivors Network she was a regular at the in-person meetings where she Drew in
00:32:26
others with her Unbreakable Spirit they applauded as she detailed all the things she was doing on their
00:32:34
behalf in addition to managing the online forum she organized survivors speakers events held writing workshops
00:32:42
met with Publishers who could assist in producing books on their stories and plotted a documentary with a
00:32:49
filmmaker she used her own money to print t-shirts branded with the survivors network logo hosted
00:32:55
light-hearted outings throughout the city and held fundraisers she even found a specialist
00:33:02
trauma expert to lead therapy sessions Tanya did all of this with infectious joy that made survivors
00:33:09
forget their pain whenever they were in her presence they couldn't help but be impressed with how well she was coping
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compared to them with her radiant warmth and willingness to lead Tanya quickly became
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the face of the 9911 survivors While most survivors struggled to describe or remember what they had
00:33:31
witnessed that day Tanya could repeat her story in mesmerizing detail Survivor stories typically
00:33:39
featured one or two key elements they either saw the plane's impact were inside one of the towers at the time had
00:33:46
witnessed the falling bodies or had run from the crashing buildings Tanya had experienced it
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all her severely scarred withered right up was a testament to the horrors she endured Not only was hers a truly
00:34:03
remarkable unique account it also featured the lorded 9911 hero Wells Crowther yet Tanya never tried to one up
00:34:14
the other survivors or act like she had it worse to her all their stories were equally valid she didn't hog the
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spotlight try to profit off of her story or bask in media attention mention in fact she seemed somewhat intimidated by
00:34:32
it when she was approached for interviews she was often reluctant to participate she was just happy and
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comfortable to remain an honored figure within the closet Survivor circles and for all her work she never
00:34:46
asked for anything in return all she wanted was a sense of appreciation and to see others follow in her lead
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yet even tya had her bad days where she was uncharacteristically Sullen sometimes she disappeared for
00:35:07
days at a time while ignoring calls and messages she confided in a friend that she wasn't rebounding nearly as
00:35:15
successfully as she led on anti-depressants prescribed by her therapist did a little to curb recurring
00:35:22
nightmares of 9/11 she barely slept and Som day she couldn't Master the energy to leave her
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apartment whenever she was inside a building she feared a plane would hit air travel was intimidating as she
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imagined hijackers were on board she was also worried that she would never find a man she loved as much
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as David Tanya told her friend she kept these feelings to herself because she didn't want to burden anyone
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confiding it seems no one cares about about how much I suffered what I saw she lamented that she should have
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died explaining now I can't find meaning in anything I do all of this makes me mad
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and it makes me wonder what it is that I'm doing here why is it that I continue to be haunted by the images of that day
00:36:20
I'm so tired of trying to make sense of any of this of trying to cope with my situation
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over the coming months Tanya's appearances became sporadic both online and in real
00:36:34
life when the third anniversary of 9/11 arrived tya forwent expectations to attend Ground Zero telling other members
00:36:43
of the survivors Network that she would be spending time with David's parents instead they were private people who had
00:36:51
chosen not to appear at any 9/11 related public event it was in respect to their
00:36:58
privacy that Tanya hadn't yet revealed David's last name to anyone in January 2005 Tanya volunteered
00:37:07
to take a humanitarian trip to Southeast Asia to help those who had recently been
00:37:12
impacted by the devastating Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami which claimed over 200,000
00:37:19
lives Tanya kept the survivors Forum updated on her experience by sending nearly 30 Page Long writings that
00:37:27
covered everything from the meals she ate to the work she did in villages delivering supplies and rebuilding
00:37:34
infrastructure those 10 days were eye openening for tya She Wrote of the personal growth she went through seeing
00:37:42
other survivors coming to terms with the death and destruction around them it also answered the question that she had
00:37:49
been agonizing over why did she survive now she understood it wasn't to pick up the piece and try and return to
00:37:58
her old life that could never happen it was to help others in the month after Tanya returned
00:38:10
to the states she appeared at a Meetup for the survivor's Network it had been a while since the group had seen her and
00:38:17
she was greeted with a standing ovation and a round of applause her overseas humanitarian work
00:38:24
had boosted Tanya's enthusiasm and she seemed to be back to her normal energetic
00:38:29
self she threw herself back into her advocacy work for the network becoming its co-chair alongside its founder Jerry
00:38:38
bogar she worked into the night making calls and sending emails reaching out to bureaucrats and other influential New
00:38:46
Yorkers until they got the recognition they sought plans and policies were starting
00:38:51
to be implemented with 9/11 survivors in mind Tanya also kept her Promise by working to identify the man who
00:39:01
entrusted his wedding ring to her before the collapse of the South Tower after months of devoted research
00:39:08
Tanya finally tracked her down his widow Tanya gave her the ring in private with no F or medor
00:39:16
attention while she was happy to talk broadly about the poignant experience out of respect for the woman's privacy
00:39:23
Tanya refused to divulge her or her husband's name for all of Tanya's hard work one of her
00:39:32
biggest tasks was yet to come after the remains of the Twin Towers were cleared a set of 37 steps
00:39:40
that had once connected the skyscraper Plaza to the street below remained during the attacks hundreds of
00:39:47
survivors had used these stairs as their path to Freedom the stairs had managed to
00:39:53
withstand both the collapse of the buildings and the subsequent demolition work referred to as Survivor staircase
00:40:02
they were set to be removed as part of the Redevelopment at the behest of the survivors Tanya successfully campaigned
00:40:10
for the steps to remain untouched and become a feature of the memorial when an offer was put forward
00:40:17
seeking volunteers to lead walking tours of Ground Zero Tanya was the first to respond with her positive reputation she
00:40:26
was the ideal King candidate and was invited to try out she carried out several test tours during which she
00:40:33
guided tourists through the 911 site while detailing the history of the Twin Towers the subsequent attacks and her
00:40:41
escape on her own valtion Tanya told her followers about David and showed them her scarred
00:40:48
arm her story left listeners in tears Tanya's story encapsulated both the tragedy and Triumph of New York on
00:40:59
9/11 she was therefore asked to lead a walking tour for three of New York's most powerful politicians Governor
00:41:07
George Pataki Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former mayor Rudy Giuliani although tya was delighted by
00:41:16
the recognition she was hesitant to accept she told a friend there was so much at stake she'd only ever told her
00:41:25
story to other survivors tourists or at small scale private functions this would be a major press
00:41:32
event with dignitaries camera Crews and journalists which would thrust T into the international
00:41:39
Spotlight she wasn't sure she was ready and feared she'd mess everything up Tanya's friend reassured her
00:41:49
saying they wouldn't have picked you if they didn't believe in you [Music] the walking tour was scheduled to take
00:42:02
place on Friday September 9 2005 that morning Tanya head was a nervous wreck jittery and teary eyed she
00:42:12
considered pulling the plug entirely her supporters had never seen her like this they assumed she was
00:42:19
grappling with painful memories and felt intimidated by her esteemed guests that wasn't the case
00:42:28
Tanya explained she was overwrought by the large media presence and didn't want to answer any of their
00:42:35
questions her fellow survivors gave her comfort and encouragement reminding her how important the publicity was to the
00:42:42
Network's Vision this would Mark the first time a 9/11 Survivor was featured front and
00:42:49
center at a major event by the time the tour was scheduled to begin Tanya managed to come her
00:42:57
nerves at the preceding press conference Mayor Michael Bloomberg stated it's heartening to know that the
00:43:05
September 11th story will be told with accuracy with honesty and with a great heart with a newfound sense of
00:43:14
confidence Tanya then led the way while recounting her miraculous Story of Survival those in attendance were
00:43:23
captivated with Governor George [ __ ] remarking that they were very very grateful and proud of
00:43:29
T after the tour the Press bombarded Tanya with questions and interview requests but her Entourage kept them at
00:43:37
Bay saying Tanya was too exhausted to engage at that time even without Tanya's direct
00:43:47
participation her story made headlines and it soon came to the attention of Wells crowther's parents Jeff and
00:43:55
Allison the couple reached out to Tanya wanting to meet her in person but Tanya was reluctant she claimed that family
00:44:04
members of 91 victims asked too many questions and pride for specific details which forced her to dredge up painful
00:44:12
memories when she couldn't give them the answers they sought they often turned hostile towards her one encounter had
00:44:20
triggered her to have a panic attack but by early 2006 Tanya had a change of heart she was willing to
00:44:30
reconsider the crowther's requests on one condition their meeting was to be private and confidential with no media
00:44:38
or anyone else present the Crowther happily agreed they were just delighted to hear from another
00:44:45
person who owed their life to their son on the day of the meeting Tanya was once again overwhelmed with
00:44:53
anxiety she decided that she wasn't going to say anything to the crows they would have to do all the
00:45:01
talking and respect her choice to remain silent a friend urged tya to reconsider
00:45:08
reminding her that it was the crowther's son who had saved her life meeting each
00:45:14
other was a gift for all those involved Tanya went ahead with the meeting and the Crowther immediately
00:45:22
embraced her while they sensed Tanya's apprehension they spoke to her as if they were longtime
00:45:29
friends Tanya sat quietly as the crowthers recounted stories of Wells from his interests and hobbies to the
00:45:36
close relationship he had with his two sisters Tanya told the couple that Wells sounded a lot like the man she
00:45:45
married with that her defenses came down and she told them her story she spoke of how WS had found her
00:45:53
and led her to the stairwell of the words they shared and His Kind Eyes Jeff and Allison were moved to
00:46:02
tears before they went their separate ways they gave Tenya a gift a red bandana the crows asked tya to speak at
00:46:15
a memorial event for their son later that year she told other survivors that she didn't want to but felt like she
00:46:22
couldn't refuse the group was surprised by her cool indifference toward the Crowther
00:46:29
family Not only was it unlike Tanya to be dispassionate and impolite she'd had no quals telling her story in the
00:46:37
past ever since the ground zero walking to her with the politicians Tanya's fellow survivors had a noticed a shift
00:46:44
in her attitude her grace and optimism were often overshadowed by frustration anxiety and
00:46:53
indignation she was prone to snapping at members of the Survivor Network and fostering animosity within the
00:47:00
community while she'd typically gone out of her way to help other survivors she was now dismissive of them as though her
00:47:07
story was the only one that mattered she began exuding arrogance and network members were getting fed up with
00:47:16
some even leaving the group as a result Tanya went from fronting intimate survivors meetings to being invited to a
00:47:25
wide range of heavily publicized 9/11 related events from charity walks to testifying at a congressional
00:47:33
hearing whenever she expressed a desire to step back from the spotlight she realized the days of anonymity were
00:47:41
gone the ground zero tours were taking place six times a day 7 days a week and her story was reaching people from all
00:47:49
around the world everyone knew T head on the day of BS crowther's Memorial event Tanya was in such a state
00:48:00
of panic that one of her friends had to escort her to the lecon and give the speech on her
00:48:06
behalf speaking of the struggle she'd had preparing for the event Tanya's speech
00:48:13
said what exactly do you say to the family of the man who saved your life and gave his in the
00:48:20
process but then I thought about what WS would do if our roles were reversed and
00:48:25
he was asked to do this for me this is what gave me the strength to be here today in Her speech Tanya revealed that
00:48:35
she told wells's story to her family every Christmas to honor and preserve his memory she also kept a picture of
00:48:43
him in every room of her home so he was always with her Tanya's speech ended in many ways I feel Wells and I
00:48:53
keep each other alive Wells you are my hero I live my life to make you proud T head's story boosted the
00:49:09
survivors Network out of obscurity and by 2007 it was a powerful and respected advocacy group with thousands of
00:49:17
members Tanya was given the role of President a position created just for her with all the good she'd done she was
00:49:25
seen as the perfect person to feature in a New York Times article for the upcoming 6th anniversary of
00:49:32
9/11 ten agreed to participate but when it came time to sit down with the journalist she cancelled and began
00:49:40
ignoring their calls Tanya told other members of the group that she didn't want to make the
00:49:46
network all about her but to them it was clear that something else was going on ever since the article request Tanya
00:49:56
had been visibly irritated she began skipping events and acting increasingly hostile and cruel to those around
00:50:04
her some feared she was heading towards a mental breakdown Tanya blamed the stress of the
00:50:11
New York Times article for her recent behavior and said she no longer wanted to go ahead with
00:50:17
it but the journalist David Dunlap started contacting other survivors and asking some strange questions that had
00:50:25
nothing to do with 's Survival Story had they ever been to her apartment or seen pictures of her
00:50:35
fiance Tenya accused David Dunlap of stalking and harassing her as revenge for rejecting his interview offers he
00:50:43
apologized for upsetting her saying he was just interested to know why she was so reluctant to speak with
00:50:50
him Tanya's supporters asked David to email through his questions instead so that Tanya could answer them in her own
00:50:57
time he immediately sent through two pages worth his questions covered everything from where Tanya had gone to
00:51:05
school to whether she was still employed by Merl Lynch he also wanted to clarify whether
00:51:12
Tanya had been engaged or married at the time of the 9/11 attacks as she'd referred to her deceased partner as both
00:51:19
her fiance and husband there were also questions about what hospital Tanya had been treated in
00:51:27
after 9/11 and if a doctor or nurse there could attest to her remarkable recovery the question sent Tanya into a
00:51:36
fit of rage to the dismay of other members of the network if she didn't want to answer the
00:51:42
questions herself they suggested she pass them on to her in-laws or her employer or give the journalist the
00:51:49
names of the people from her story who could corroborate her version of evance Tanya refused
00:51:57
as the pressure to participate in the article mounted she confessed to the real reason she was avoiding the New
00:52:04
York Times she wasn't a US citizen this only confused survivors more given her prominence and
00:52:14
respectability in the country they were certain no one would care the day before the article was
00:52:21
scheduled to drop tya sent an email to the survivors Network that read as you know the New York Times is going
00:52:30
to publish an article about me I ask all of you to please not listen to what is in the article but reflect upon what you
00:52:37
know of me on Thursday September 27 2007 the article appeared on the front page of
00:52:49
the New York Times with the title in a 9/11 survival Tale the Pieces Just don't fit it
00:53:00
began Tanya head's story as shared over the years with reporters students friends and hundreds of visitors to
00:53:08
Ground Zero was a remarkable account of both life and death but no part of her story it turns
00:53:16
out has been verified journalist the David Dunlap had done his due diligence when it came to
00:53:23
every claim Tanya had made over the past few years and he' discovered that nothing added
00:53:30
up Harvard and Stanford universities had no records of a student called Tanya head nor had meril Lynch ever employed
00:53:38
someone by that name Tanya didn't have an office in the World Trade Center and there was also no proof that she' gone
00:53:45
to Southeast Asia in 2005 to perform humanitarian work the truth about Tanya's fiance
00:53:53
David was a little more complex to unravel there was indeed a man named to David who had died in the North Tower
00:54:01
everything about him matched with Tanya's description of her deceased partner from his age to his job to the
00:54:08
fact that he was a likable Outdoorsman who loved to travel write poetry and volunteered at a soup
00:54:15
kitchen but when contacted prior to the release of the New York Times article David's family friends and colleagues
00:54:23
all said they'd never heard of Tanya head David hadn't been engaged had never traveled to Hawaii and he lived with
00:54:32
roommates not a girlfriend according to the New York Times article quote few people it seems who embraced
00:54:42
the gripping immediacy and pain of Tanya's account ever asked the name of the man whose ring she had returned or
00:54:49
that of the hospital where she was treated or the identities of the people she met with in the south tower on the
00:54:55
morning of 9/11 journalist David Dunlap explained that he couldn't find a single person
00:55:03
who recall encountering Tanya had at the World Trade Center on 9/11 while Tanya had told dramatic
00:55:10
stories about the family members of victims the only ones she'd ever forly met were Jeff and Allison
00:55:18
Crowther the crowthers told David Dunlap that Tanya had promised to send them a piece of the scorched jacket she had
00:55:25
worn on 9/11 as it was one of the last things their son had touched she failed to deliver on that
00:55:33
promise she had also agreed to donate the jacket to a tribute Center that displayed 9/11 artifacts but never
00:55:40
followed through like the rest of America the crowthers were left stunned by Tanya's
00:55:47
betrayal and the way in which she'd exploited Well's memory to fuel her deception Jeff kther told the New York
00:55:55
Times she seemed so heartfelt and genuine his wife Allison later told Channel 4 we took her on just complete trust and
00:56:07
faith we had no reason not to believe everything she was saying to [Music] us it turned out that Tanya's real name
00:56:21
was Alicia EST head born in Spain to a prominent and affluent family she was the youngest of five
00:56:29
children as the only girl Alicia was considered to be her parents Jewel and they gave her everything she
00:56:37
wanted her family split their time between three lavish homes mingling with politicians and European royalty on
00:56:44
yachts and at exclusive clubs Alicia liked to boast about her family's wealth and social position her
00:56:52
expensive clothes and her top tier education that was until 1992 when her father and
00:57:00
brother were embroiled in a highly publicized multi-million Financial Scandal both wound up in jail for
00:57:08
embezzlement bringing shame to their family's name Alicia distanced herself from the
00:57:15
men in her family and desperately tried to regain her pride and honor she focused on her career hoping to
00:57:22
establish herself as an influential and respected businesswoman her Fierce ambition made her notably
00:57:30
ruthless Alicia was known to pit co-workers against each other so that she could get ahead and she surrounded
00:57:37
herself with people who didn't overshadow her she was also known for being generous in a way that made others feel
00:57:45
as though she was buying their friendship throughout her childhood Alicia was known to lie to get attention
00:57:53
and boost her self-esteem as she got older that behavior escalated she typically made up stories
00:58:01
whenever she felt frustrated or bored with her life they were mostly just harmless fibs centered around fictitious
00:58:10
boyfriends the lengths of her deception took a dramatic turn in September 2001 while Alicia claimed to have been
00:58:19
working in the World Trade Center when the September 11 attacks took place the reality was that she had been in bus
00:58:26
Salona where she was enrolled in a master's program at a university specializing in
00:58:32
economics there was no record of her taking a leave of absence around that time nor did any of her classmates
00:58:38
recall her sporting any injuries the damage to Alicia's right arm was the result of a previous
00:58:46
accident though exactly what caused it remained Up For Debate to some Alicia said that she'd been driving in a
00:58:54
Ferrari with her fiance traveling at 200 km an hour when the vehicle crashed Alicia's right arm was severed
00:59:02
and needed to be reattached while her fiance died as a result she told others the injury was
00:59:10
caused by a horse riding accident at Apollo Country Club as one Spanish journalist later
00:59:17
recounted to channel 4 Alicia rest of head was a very good actress because with all these lies I never found anyone
00:59:25
telling me I didn't believe her Alicia graduated in May 2002 telling her classmates that Barcelona wasn't big
00:59:36
enough for her dreams it was no secret that Alicia had been obsessed with America from a young
00:59:42
age she learned American English traveled to the states often and had an American flag on her bedroom
00:59:50
wall it therefore came as no surprise to those who knew her when she departed for
00:59:55
New York City where she started going by the name Tanya in hindsight it was clear that
01:00:04
Tanya's fictitious 9/11 Survival Story was woven from genuine reports as everything she detailed about the day
01:00:12
was factually correct it appeared that she'd undertaken extensive research before
01:00:18
first presenting herself to the Online survivor community in May 2003 with the truth about Tanya head
01:00:27
coming to light criticism was directed at the media for not factchecking Tanya's claims before printing them but
01:00:35
as the Morning Call newspaper pointed out Tanya head managed to rope in a traumatized the group of survivors a
01:00:43
traumatized City and a traumatized Nation because she lied about something that in most people's imagination nobody
01:00:51
would dare lie about still Tanya had drawn a degree of Suspicion over the years some found it
01:01:01
odd that Tanya had never shown them any photos of her and her fiance David together when they visited Tanya's
01:01:08
apartment the Golden Retriever named Elvis that she and David had apparently B together was always out on
01:01:15
walks T had promised to take some of her Survivor friends to the Hampton beach house where David's belongings were
01:01:22
allegedly stored but she kept cancelling at the last minute minut it one had been driven to search David's
01:01:29
name online but found no mention of him being engaged or married at all while some had felt uneasy about
01:01:38
Tanya's claims they'd been unsure of how to address it Tanya had a tendency to get emotional whenever someone asked
01:01:45
about her ordeal and they didn't want to pry and make things worse others were acutely aware of
01:01:52
Tanya's influence and power among the survivors Network work and they didn't want to risk being kicked out of the
01:01:58
community they relied on for support the fear of Tanya was justified a 9/11 Survivor named Lisa once attended
01:02:08
a charity event with Tanya who wore a t-shirt that bore a photo of her fiance David Lisa immediately recognized him as
01:02:16
one of her colleagues she was surprised to learn that David had been engaged he'd never
01:02:23
once mentioned it at work Lisa tried to speak to Tanya about their Mutual connection but Tanya became
01:02:31
dismissive saying it was too painful to talk about after that Tanya turned the survivors Network against Lisa and she
01:02:40
was no longer welcome in the group a similar thing happened to the survivors Network founder Jerry
01:02:47
bogas after years of close friendship tan abruptly started campaigning against a Jerry saying he no longer had the
01:02:55
tenac or leadership skills to front the group Jerry couldn't believe what was happening the kind and selfless T he
01:03:04
once knew had become mean-spirited and calculating she convinced the survivor's Network to remove Jerry and was then
01:03:13
promoted to president Jerry was devastated it wasn't until Tenya was exposed as a fraud that he realized why
01:03:22
she must have suddenly turned on him driven by a mix of curiosity and suspicion Jerry had asked Tanya for her
01:03:30
fiance's last name he then checked it against the 911 victim list and confirmed it was
01:03:38
there satisfied with these findings Jerry moved on but it was shortly after this that Tanya pushed to have him
01:03:47
removed from the network before the release of the New York Times article journalist David
01:03:57
Dunlap had only been able to get one quote from Tanya on a phone call 2 days before the article went to print Tanya
01:04:06
stated I have done nothing illegal she wasn't wrong under American law for Tanya to be
01:04:15
charged with fraud she would have had to deceptively obtain property from another
01:04:20
person for her own benefit during her time with the survivors Network investigations
01:04:27
revealed that Tanya didn't earn or take anything all her work was unpaid and she
01:04:34
had only ever donated her own money to the cause and large amounts of it authorities were
01:04:42
powerless while Tanya's actions were clearly immoral they weren't illegal for years filmmaker Angelo Gul
01:04:52
Elmo had been working directly with tanad to create a documentary about the survivors of
01:04:58
9/11 in the aftermath of the New York Times article Angelo headed to Tanya's apartment seeking an
01:05:05
explanation he found her looking disheveled and overcome with rage and self-pity she blamed her situation on
01:05:14
the media asserting they were out to get her she was also bitter that the survivors Network had turned on her
01:05:21
after everything she'd done for them her membership had been revoked and the role
01:05:27
of president had been assigned to another member no one in the group had reached
01:05:32
out to Tanya and several had publicly expressed their indignation Tanya showed no remorse
01:05:40
telling Angelo how could they say all these terrible things about me what kind of
01:05:46
friends are these realizing Tanya wasn't going to admit to anything Angelo left unsure what to do with his
01:05:57
documentary in light of the recent Revelations he discussed the matter with the survivors
01:06:03
Network they agreed that Angelo should finish the project while also highlighting everything Tanya did both
01:06:11
good and bad when Tanya found out about it she was Furious she phoned Angelo warning one day the truth will come out
01:06:22
and you'll all feel terrible and apologize to me after the release of the New York
01:06:29
Times article Tanya attempted to reach out to a few friends via email but only one was willing to
01:06:36
talk they were surprised to find that she was Unapologetic and depicted herself as the
01:06:43
victim after this Tanya more or less vanished she maintained sporadic contact with a few people saying she was moving
01:06:52
to a new apartment had a new job and was working with a therapist when members of the survivors
01:07:00
Network received a mysterious email from a Spanish account alleging that Tanya head had taken her own life they were
01:07:08
skeptical they believed Tanya had sent the email herself 3 years later on Thursday
01:07:18
December 23 2010 Angelo Gul Elmo was in New York when he spotted Tanya out of the corner of his eye he rushed over put
01:07:28
his hand on her shoulder and said her name startled Tanya jumped back and yelled get away from me don't speak to
01:07:38
me she gave Angelo the middle finger and took off Angelo was so shocked that he walked
01:07:45
away he later regretted that he didn't press Tanya for answers 9 months later on Wednesday
01:07:54
September 14 2011 Angelo was walking down the street when Tanya obliviously passed by him
01:08:02
again shaking with nerves Angelo retrieved his camera from his backpack and began following
01:08:09
her Tanya was with her mother who'd previously insisted she didn't know a thing about her daughter's
01:08:16
deception the pair headed to the East River where they stopped to admire the sunset Tanya looked happy and
01:08:24
carefree Angelo continued to follow Tanya as she entered a boutique hotel Angelo waited outside mulling over
01:08:33
what he should do next 2 hours later Tanya reappeared alone and addressed for a party as she
01:08:42
walked towards a bus stop Angelo became overwhelmed with anger he headed towards her with his
01:08:49
camera rolling as soon as Tanya recognized Angelo she started shaking her head and
01:08:55
her body stiffened don't come near me Angelo she ordered get away from me Angelo didn't
01:09:04
stop filming Tanya reached out for the camera at which point Angelo exploded yelling
01:09:11
how dare you don't you have any feelings for the people you've hurt Tanya don't you have any feelings at
01:09:21
all Tanya pulled out her mobile phone and said she was calling the police Angelo turned off his camera and
01:09:29
walked away reflecting on the experience he later said I took no pleasure in that
01:09:38
encounter that night I replayed the video and cringed I felt sad and sorry did that mean I forgave her who
01:09:49
the hell knows I didn't even know who she was Angelo's documentary on the survivors
01:09:57
Network and Tanya head was released in 2012 with the name the woman who wasn't there he also co-wrote a book with the
01:10:07
same title since her fall from grace Tanya head has remained out of the public eye
01:10:15
aside from fleeting sightings in New York It is believed she returned to Barcelona to live with her
01:10:22
mother in recent times her name and image was used for an account on the professional networking platform
01:10:30
LinkedIn the profile matches tenya's biography and claims she is working and living in New York efforts to verify
01:10:38
this information have come up a dry given that Tanya never claimed any accountability for her fake 911 Survival
01:10:49
Story the question Still Remains why did she do it some believe Tanya showed signs of
01:10:58
pseudologia fantastica a rare syndrome where individuals represent certain fantasies as real
01:11:06
occurrences it manifests in several ways that include chronic lying with no clear
01:11:13
objective benefit dramatic detailed complicated and colorful storytelling geared to achieve acceptance admiration
01:11:22
and sympathy the stories the elves feature the teller as a hero or victim during her time with the
01:11:31
survivors Network Tanya had started writing about her experience as though she intended to release a
01:11:37
book one passage read it's still all so raw it hurts as much now as then and I still cannot
01:11:47
understand why why why I talked to Dave and told him I was sorry but he didn't answer back our
01:11:57
photos together are ghosts of a life I once had and desperately want back my other half is missing ripped
01:12:06
away from us by human missiles one reporter who read Tanya's writing said it's such [ __ ] I mean now I
01:12:18
look at it and now go wow that's amazing she constructed a very large narrative a big big
01:12:29
story documentary filmmaker Angelo Gul Elmo told NPR it was clear to me right away that
01:12:37
tya did it for the attention for some crazy need to be a star that's what she wanted to be and she became
01:12:46
that one US psychologist stated that Tanya head wanted what most Liars want which is to change the way other people
01:12:55
look at them to be loved and respected and valued and cared about speaking to channel 4 about his
01:13:05
own Theory Jeff kther said it would appear to me that she is an individual with a low
01:13:12
self-esteem very low self-esteem she felt she needed to do something to create a different
01:13:23
T while Tanya head had escaped punishment her actions had a lasting impact on the genuine survivors of
01:13:31
9/11 before T was exposed as a fraud her ability to Triumph in the face of adversity caused others to Harbor guilt
01:13:39
and shame about their struggles many felt their own experience was nothing compared to what Tanya had
01:13:47
gone through and they therefore hesitated to share their stories many also felt they weren't
01:13:53
doing enough to help the Network when Tanya was doing so much despite all she'd suffered
01:14:00
through in reality the reason she was able to put so much time and energy into the network because she wasn't dealing
01:14:08
with any real trauma like the rest of the members were once the truth came out members of
01:14:15
the network felt embarrassed for being duped many of them idolized Tanya but with her deception exposed they felt
01:14:24
like they'd lost another close friend to 9/11 one member said I'm very torn she did a lot of good for our Network it's
01:14:35
hard to discredit it at all but she didn't have to lie she could have done those things without needing to
01:14:45
lie the group's founder Jerry bogaz told Channel 4 that there was a violence to Tanya's
01:14:52
actions it's taking advantage of people he said and if you take advantage of particularly vulnerable people that's
01:15:01
even worse during her time in the network Tanya had received counseling from a therapist who was fully convinced of her
01:15:11
story reflecting back the therapist said it's a case study it's not just a window
01:15:19
into her personality and what she was capable of but of what was going on with the whole n community and what they were
01:15:27
feeling the survivors needed and wanted at so much that they helped create her with Tanya gone members of the
01:15:38
survivors Network were free to speak openly without feeling inadequate however the damage was
01:15:46
already done Tanya's actions had fueled suspicions in the group and members began accusing one another of being
01:15:53
frauds and lying the group ultimately disbanded when the truth was exposed something Tenya head had once said took
01:16:04
on new meaning speaking of 9/11 Tanya remarked sometimes I have to go back and think was it real was it a dream was my
01:16:17
life really like that or was it just all make belief [Music]