'I have a before 9/11 life and an after 9/11 life'
Karen Rowland, a former New York fashion designer, shares her personal experience of witnessing the 9/11 attacks. She reflects on how the tragedy fundamentally altered her perspective on life and human connection.
Why it matters
Personal narratives provide a human-centric view of historical trauma, illustrating the long-term psychological impact of the 9/11 attacks on survivors.
Image source, Karen Rowland Image caption, Karen Rowland said her life changed on that day 25 years ago
Karen Rowland assumed, like so many others, that the first plane was an accident when she saw it on TV.
Accidents like it had happened in New York City before. It must have been like when a plane crashed into the Empire State Building in 1945.
Leaving her flat, still alarmed by what she saw, she met a neighbour, a doctor who worked at a nearby hospital, St Vincent's. She told him he would have a "rough day".
Moments later, having left their building, she saw the second plane hit the World Trade Center. She realised what was happening around them was no accident.
"There was screaming and hugging of total strangers and a lot of silence," she said.
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