It’s been 20 years since 9/11. Here’s how lives were forever changed
In their own words
People say, 'You were part of 9/11.' I just tell them,
9/11 is a part of me
-Tom Canavan,
World Trade Center attack survivor
September 11, 2001: Millions witnessed planes crash into the World Trade Center, then the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field. Thousands died. Many lost loved ones or their sense of safety, went to war or faced discrimination. But their journeys didn’t end there.
CNN asked readers to share how their lives have changed in the past 20 years. These are their stories of pain, loss, transformation and, in some cases, triumph.
Angela Mistrulli hugs her father, Joseph, in a family photo taken in 2000. (Courtesy Angela Mistrulli)
Lost her father
37 | Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Mistrulli is now a full-time mom to her two children and recently moved to Wisconsin. (Courtesy Angela Mistrulli)
Sadia Sheikh, left, smiles with her husband and mother-in-law around July 2001 in San Antonio, Texas. (Courtesy Sadia Sheikh)
Vilified for her religion
50 | San Antonio
Sadia Sheikh poses in a photo with her family. (@SherryJanePhotography)
Ivilina Popova poses for a photo at the World Trade Center in the summer of 2000. (Courtesy Ivilina Popova)
Witness to the attacks in New York
59 | Austin, Texas
Ivilina Povova, right, smiles with her twin sister, Elmira, in 2007. (Ernie Kee)
Narges Mohammad Mahdi, right, poses with her family in 2004. (Courtesy Narges Mohammad Mahdi)
Afghan woman whose life changed
28 | Boston
Mohammad Mahdi, seen here this year, says 9/11 never leaves her mind. (Courtesy Narges Mohammad Mahdi)
Christopher Featherston stands outside the Pentagon in Washington, DC, following the September 11 attack. (Courtesy Christopher Featherston)
Survived attack on the Pentagon
59 | Falls Church, Virginia
Featherston’s Air Force dog tags were on his keyring in a bag under his desk on 9/11. They were later found in the rubble and returned to him months after the attack. (Courtesy Christopher Featherston)
Featherston stands outside the Pentagon in 2021. (Courtesy Christopher Featherston)
Jane Trudeau-Smith smiles for a photo in 2001. (Courtesy Jane Trudeau-Smith)
Former Red Cross volunteer at Ground Zero
52 | Beecher, Illinois
Trudeau-Smith held on to the Red Cross badge she had as a Ground Zero volunteer. (Courtesy Jane Trudeau-Smith)
Trudeau-Smith said she now lives each day “on the offense.” (Courtesy Jane Trudeau-Smith)
Jeremy Booth, left, poses with his dad around 2000. (Courtesy Jeremy Booth)
Became a firefighter after 9/11
48 | Martinez, California
Booth battles a fire in Richmond, California. (Courtesy Jeremy Booth)
Anisha D’Costa smiles for a picture in her hometown of Pune, India, in 1999. (Courtesy Anisha D’Costa)
Vilified because of her race
42 | Oak Park, Illinois
D’Costa, pictured in 2007, says her race and ethnicity have made her a target of extra scrutiny since the attacks. (Courtesy Anisha D’Costa)
Ash Macfarlane is seen during the battle of Samarra in Iraq in October 2004. A week earlier, an IED ambush destroyed the vehicle he was in. (Courtesy Ash Macfarlane)
Served in Iraq & Afghanistan
50 | Lawrence, Kansas
Macfarlane now works for the Department of Veterans Affairs. (Courtesy Ash Macfarlane)
Zayna Gawhari, seen here in 2001, says she was able to receive an English curriculum education in Afghanistan after the US invasion. (Courtesy Zayna Gawhari)
Afghan woman whose life changed
22 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Gawhari, pictured here in 2020, says it’s hard to think about this year’s anniversary given recent events in Afghanistan. (Courtesy Zayna Gawhari))
Thomas Dugan, shown here in 2001, says every person has a story to tell. (Courtesy Thomas Dugan)
Teaches the post-9/11 generation
40 | Suffield, Connecticut
Dugan is now a high school teacher. (Courtesy Thomas Dugan)
Elizabeth Nolan said she gives herself permission to avoid situations that make her uncomfortable. (Courtesy Elizabeth Nolan)
Lost her sense of safety
45 | Nassau County, New York
Nolan said she has been living with PTSD since 9/11. (Courtesy Elizabeth Nolan)
Carole O’Hare stands behind her mother, Hilda Marcin, left, and her sister Betty at a family wedding around 1999. (Courtesy Carole O’Hare)
Lost her mother
69 | Scottsdale, Arizona
O’Hare speaks at a 2004 news conference in San Francisco to announce a memorial for passengers and crew of Flight 93. (Paul Sakuma/AP)
Because of how he was treated after 9/11, Sachin Golhar says he feels part of his young adult life was taken away. (Courtesy Sachin Golhar)
Vilified for his race
34 | Detroit
Golhar is now a senior engineer in the automotive industry. (Courtesy Sachin Golhar)
Jessica Tanner and her parents, Howard and Anne Flugmacher, attend an FDNY Christmas party in the mid-1990s. (Courtesy Jessica Tanner)
Daughter of a 9/11 first responder
32 | New Hartford, New York
Tanner and her parents participate at a stair climb event honoring 9/11 first responders in Utica, New York, in 2019. (Courtesy Jessica Tanner)
Howard Flugmacher, pictured here in the late 1990s, said being a firefighter was the best job he ever had. (Courtesy Jessica Tanner)
Firefighter at Ground Zero
68 | New Hartford, New York
Flugmacher’s grandson, Noah Tanner, wears the coat and hat from his 9/11 uniform, which was marred by the harsh conditions at Ground Zero. (Courtesy Jessica Tanner)
The retired firefighter spends time with his grandchildren, Noah and Harper, in 2021. (Courtesy Jessica Tanner)