GEORGIA — As the nation marks the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, one mother is sharing memories of the son she lost and the love that remains decades later.
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Melissa Turnage says she still carries Adam White with her every day.
White was 26 years old and working for financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald on the 101st floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center when terrorists attacked on Sept. 11, 2001.
Turnage said her son was not supposed to be in New York that day. He had been scheduled to travel to South America for a new project.
“He was a special human from the moment, well actually before he was born, I knew that he was a special human,” Turnage said.
Like countless family members trying to reach loved ones that morning, Turnage repeatedly called her son’s phone after learning about the attacks.
“I kept calling Adam’s phone and didn’t get an answer. And finally I said, ‘Adam, just pick up your phone,’” she recalled.
Turnage said she experienced a moment she has never forgotten.
“And this voice came to me, and I know this sounds extremely strange, but this voice came to me and said, ‘Mom, I’m okay,’” she said.
Now living in Birmingham, Turnage has built a life while carrying the grief of losing her son. She says healing has never meant forgetting.
“He has a story that I love to tell. It still keeps him alive for me in my heart. It’s about compassion and empathy and everyday heroes,” Turnage said.
She also continues to reflect on the acts of courage and kindness shown in the aftermath of the attacks, particularly at Ground Zero, where first responders and volunteers worked tirelessly to help others.
Turnage knows some victims’ remains were never recovered, leaving many families without a final goodbye. Still, she says the annual memorials have become a source of comfort and connection.
“We’re all in this together,” Turnage said. “In the subsequent memorials that I’ve been to, and even the time that I read his name on 9/11 at Ground Zero, it’s about people being together and all holding hands.”
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