How 9/11 Taught Me To Stop Saying ‘Everything Will Be Okay’

<p>I&rsquo;ll spare you the usual details of that awful morning. They have been well-documented and you have likely seen enough video of the event to last a lifetime. I was working at a hospital less than half a mile from the World Trade Center where, from my office, I had a clear view of the buildings and even had to tilt my head back to see their tops. A colleague and I were in my office pondering the incident in the first building when we witnessed the second plane disappear into the south tower.</p> <p>My sister was scheduled to fly to New York that morning from the Midwest. I called my father, knowing that any moment the phone lines would be jammed. He&rsquo;s a Bronx-born New Yorker and when I told him that planes had been intentionally flown into the World Trade Center, he simply said, &ldquo;What are you talking about?&rdquo; I told him to check on my sister&rsquo;s whereabouts and that I had to go. I hung up the phone and made my way, bewildered and afraid, down seven flights of stairs to the emergency room.</p> <p>Our small ER was quickly overwhelmed by a large number of &ldquo;walking wounded&rdquo; and a few severely injured victims. The cafeteria became an accessory treatment area and the hallways and corridors overflowed with passersby and uninjured victims who saw the hospital as a safe space. Everyone asked me, &ldquo;How can I help, doc?&rdquo; Genuinely. Truly. &ldquo;What can I do?&rdquo; I had never experienced &mdash; and don&rsquo;t expect to experience again &mdash; the unity of purpose and spirit that existed in that moment.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/@JaySillings/how-9-11-taught-me-to-stop-saying-everything-will-be-okay-90195fb52c86"><strong>Learn More</strong></a></p>