Genelle was the last person to be taken alive from 9/11 debris

Genelle Guzman McMillan was in New York two years ago when, on September 11, 2001, the attacks on the Twin Towers took place. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, the woman was working on the 64th floor of the North Tower, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, at the time the first plane hit the top of the building. At the age of 50, Genelle admitted that he was given “a new opportunity” after being the last person to be taken alive from the rubble.

Genelle felt the floor vibrate. When the second plane crashed into the South Tower, the woman and a colleague decided to try to leave the building by the stairs. At the age of 30, the young woman stopped on the 13th floor to take off her high heels. Then the tower I wanted out of collapsed.

“Everything was falling on me,” he recalled, in statements to People magazine.

Genelle was under the rubble for about 27 hours before she was rescued. His right leg was crushed, his head swelled and his face burned. The young woman was hospitalized for more than a month and at some point the doctors even considered amputating her leg. However, a fourth surgery saved her, even if she limped.

About the hours he spent in the rubble, he detailed: “I felt like I was there forever. I thought I was dreaming. I thought it had to be a dream and I didn't know if anyone would find me. I lay there. I heard everything that was going on. I heard someone asking for help with a very weak voice. I heard the trucks and walkie-talkies firing. But for some reason, I couldn't scream. There was dust in his mouth, in his nose. I lay there. I didn't know what to do, what to say. And the pain was lancinating, as if I had steel stuck in my flank by my stomach. I only had my left hand free; I tried to position myself in order to relieve that pain a little, but it was no use”.

The woman tried to stretch her head, but quickly realized that “it was really stuck and trapped”. “I thought: ‘I’m going to die.’ I knew you couldn't get out. I was preparing to die. But then I decided to pray. I just knew I wanted to live because I wanted to see my daughter, Kimberly. She was 12 at the time. I kept begging and praying, asking God to give me a miracle”, continued.

When he was about to give up, Genelle heard someone calling her. The man who identified himself as Paul held his hand and assured him that he would be fine.

Roger McMillan, his boyfriend at the time, also stood by him during his time in the hospital. On November 7, the couple decided to tie the knot in the civil record.

“ We value each other, knowing that there was 99% probability of almost losing someone I fell in love with,” Roger said, now 58.

Genelle and Roger had two daughters, now 17 and 16. The family lives in Valley Stream, Long Island, and particularly likes to be home.

“ I was given a new life. I know God has a bigger plan for me and I try to do what's right. I encourage people to try to move on, despite the adversities of life. My faith is becoming stronger and stronger,” he said.

For 25 years, the Port Authority supervisor at LaGuardia Airport has been trying to find Paul, unsuccessfully. “We came to the conclusion that Paul really was my guardian angel,” he confessed.

It is recalled that the United States today marks the 25th anniversary of the 2001 attacks, the most deadly terrorist attack committed in North American territory, which caused nearly 3,000 deaths, including nine Portuguese and Portuguese victims.

That day, two planes hijacked by Al-Qaeda terrorists hit the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City, causing the buildings to collapse two hours after impact, while a third device hit the Pentagon outside Washington.

A fourth plane, believed to have targeted the Capitol (Congress Headquarters) or the White House (United States Presidency), crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers and crew members tried to regain control of the aircraft.