Children of 9/11 victims carry their grief forward, together: "It's an unfortunate, fortunate sisterhood"

Thousands of children lost a parent 25 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001. They became known by the name of the organization formed to support them, Tuesday's Children.

The organization formed at the Church of Saint Mary in Manhasset on Long Island as community members made a promise that the nearly 3,000 children who lost a parent would not face the future alone. More than 100 of them weren't even born yet.

Decades of group outings, camps, counseling and mentoring have helped them fill in the painful gaps.

"It's an unfortunate, fortunate sisterhood," said Shay Mahon, who was 21 months old when her dad was killed in the attacks.

She and Maggie Smith, who was nearly 3 years old when her dad was killed, have found comfort in their common bond.

"This is how your life is," Mahon said. "Your dad went to work and your dad didn't come back."

"I would say to my sister that Mom is crying because Dad's not coming home," Smith recalled. She says she has no memory of her father.

"Every single thing that happened in my entire life, my dad wasn't there, basically," she said.

Smith and Mahon share in their grief for parents they never really knew, yet think of every day.

"It's the grief for what we didn't get. We didn't get to experience having a normal life that other people get," Smith said. "I grieve the life that I was robbed of ... We were robbed of a life with him."  

Together, they've learned to carry that grief forward.

"My dad, I've always viewed him as a figure looking after me and guiding me these past 25 years of my life," Mahon said. "I have my dad with me ... every single step of the way in my life."

"I honor my father by being the best person that I can be," she added.    

Twenty-five years later, the children of 9/11 are children no more. Now young adults, many live or work just a stone's throw from Ground Zero, and many now serve on the board of the organization that helped raise them.

The organization has grown up, too; Tuesday's Children is now called Tuesday's Promise. Its mission has expanded to help military families and those affected by terrorism around the world.

"We want to provide that support network to maybe even just one family. I think that goes a long way," said Jack Nevin, who was just about 1 year old when his father was killed.

The 9/11 attacks killed their parents, but shared loss and caring gave them something else: each other.