Photo: Guideposts
A Black woman emerged as a symbol of resilience as the last person found alive beneath the rubble of Ground Zero following the September 11, 2001 attacks, per AllThatsInteresting.
Genelle Guzman-McMillan, who was 30 at the time, was working as an administrative assistant for the Port Authority on the 64th floor of the North Tower when two hijacked planes hit the World Trade Center. When the second plane hit, Guzman-McMillan and her coworkers ran towards the stairs. Guzman-McMillan and her friend were holding hands and making their way down the stairs before they were knocked off their feet by an explosion around the 13th floor.
“When we reached the landing on the thirteenth floor, I let go of Rosa’s hand to yank off my heels,” Guzman-McMillan recalled. “There was another loud explosion... Suddenly, everything went dark.”
For 27 hours, Guzman-McMillan was trapped beneath tons of concrete and steel, with her body crushed, her head pinned, and her right leg shattered. The only thing the 30-year-old could move was her left hand.
“I was thinking I’m going to die... I just kept begging and praying, just asking God to show me a miracle,” Guzman-McMillan said.
Guzman-McMillan said she finally felt a hand reach for hers on September 12.
“My name is Paul. Just hang on. They’re going to get you out of there,” the rescuer told her.
Doctors initially considered amputating her leg, but multiple surgeries saved it. Guzman-McMillan survived the 9/11 attacks with a permanent limp and a powerful story of resilience.
Guzman-McMillan documented her story in the 2011 memoir, "Angel in the Rubble: How I Survived for 27 Hours Under the World Trade Center Debris." She has also been featured in several documentaries, including “Twenty Years Later: The Women of 9/11" and “9/11: One Day in America."
Guzman-McMillan, who is now a supervisor for the Port Authority at LaGuardia Airport, also serves as a motivational speaker, inspiring others with her strength and faith.
“Doing the anniversary every year... brings a lot of comfort and peace to families,” she previously told Robin Roberts during a 9/11 special on ABC. “It’s something that’ll never go away, and it shouldn’t.”
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