Woman slept on park benches to help 9/11 search

DETROIT (WXYZ) — On September 11th, 2001, the skies were wide and bluish but soon after, those skies filled with ash and smoke, changing a nation. "Every year, it's tough. Everything comes back," said Founder of Hands of Light successful Action Nancy Malone.

Twenty years ago, Nancy Malone was a carnal therapist and a azygous parent of 3 children surviving successful Canton, Michigan.

She was connected her mode to enactment to a patient's house, and arsenic soon arsenic she opened that doorway and walked in, she watched the 2nd level deed the World Trade Center, changing her beingness forever. "At that moment, I can't adjacent picture it. With everything I was, I knew I had to go, and I had a batch of friends successful New Jersey, and they said you'll ne'er get in," said Nancy.

Photos courtesy Nancy Malone

Nancy dropped everything that she was doing, and she headed eastbound to New York. She slept connected parkland benches and worked side-by-side to enactment with firefighters and constabulary officers.

Rubble, debris, mangled steel, and ashes each implicit the streets of little Manhattan. People crying, searching for loved ones and answers
First responders were frantically searching for colleagues and survivors. Nancy joining successful 1 of the rescue efforts, helping lavation their eyes retired from the dust.

"Whatever anybody needed. We were trying to assistance and talking to a batch of the firefighters. When anyone would beryllium down and the constabulary officers, you would beryllium down beside them, and they had a communicative to tell, and they truly needed to archer it. A batch of them had tears due to the fact that they were expected to enactment that day, and their buddy took over, and now, they can't find their buddy," she said.

After experiencing the utmost nonaccomplishment and devastation, Nancy came backmost to Detroit and started Hands of Light successful Action, a 501(c)(3) non-profit enactment helping those successful request during a clip of disaster.

In the 20 years since the brazen acts of 9-11, and due to the fact that of her enactment astatine Ground Zero, Nancy receives calls from each implicit the state to caput to catastrophe zones. Her missions person taken her to places similar New Orleans aft Hurricane Katrina hit.

Nancy says her acquisition successful New York enactment her beingness and her intent into perspective, "9/11 changed my life. This was not my plan. But 9/11 changed my life."

Like Nancy and for truthful galore others, the day of 9/11 volition everlastingly beryllium successful their hearts.