[nagdu] Blind Sept. 11 survivor shares story of trust, guidance

[Toni Eames]

><http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/amr_blind-sept-11-survivor-shares-story-of-trust-guidance-1343110.html>http<http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/amr_blind-sept-11-survivor-shares-story-of-trust-guidance-1343110.html>://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/amr_blind-sept-11-survivor-shares-story-of-trust-guidance-1343110.html
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>Blind Sept. 11 survivor shares story of trust, guidance
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>ONTARIO, Dec 02, 2010 (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - 
>McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
>
>Michael Hingson experienced the sounds and smells of Sept.11, but 
>not the sights. Roselle, his service dog, helped with that.
>
>And together, a man blind from birth and his furry companion managed 
>to guide people out of the 78th floor of Tower One at the World 
>Trade Center when it was hit by American Airlines Flight 11.
>
>This was just part of a story relayed to an audience at the Ontario 
>DoubleTree Hotel on Wednesday as part of the Chamber of Commerce's 
>breakfast speaker series.
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>In 2008, he started his own company, The Michael Hingson Group, 
>sharing his story throughout the world.
>
>Hingson was a district sales manager for Quantum Data Protection 
>Division of Irvine, overseeing a sales force and field operations in 
>New York on the morning of the Sept. 11 attacks. He was on the 78th 
>floor of the World Trade Center for a training seminar.
>
>At 8:45 a.m., Hingson and colleague David Frank heard a muffled 
>explosion. The building began leaning, moving about 20 feet to one 
>side, he said.
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>The Palmdale native, who was accustomed to earthquakes, sought 
>shelter under the doorway while Frank held onto a desk.
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>"We started saying our goodbyes because we thought we'd take a 
>78-floor plunge to the (ground)," he said. "Almost as we said 
>goodbye it began coming back."
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>The building, he said, then dropped down about 6 feet.
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>Later, Hingson learned that the building was meant to expand to 
>absorb any collision. The
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>building had expanded and when it dropped, it was just retracting.
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>Because his guide dog had not indicated to him that they were in any 
>danger, Hingson said he wasn't alarmed. But his friend who was 
>talking quickly was shaken.
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>"I was just trying to get people out in an orderly way," he told a 
>crowd of more than 140 people Wednesday, as his current guide dog, 
>Africa, slept by his side.
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>Before he left his office Hingson called his wife, Karen, a Fontana 
>native, to inform her that they were leaving the building.
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>By 8:50 a.m. the group started down the stairs and after a couple of 
>flights of stairs, Hingson said he could smell burning jet fuel.
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>At some point during their trip down, Hingson said, his friend Frank 
>wanted to give up, taking a seat on a step. But Hingson said he 
>snapped at his friend, "If I can get down the stairs then so can 
>you," which prompted his friend to lead the crowd down the stairs.
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>Near the 30th floor, the group met firefighters making their way up. 
>One firefighter was intent on sending another down with him, but 
>Hingson convinced him to go ahead. Just then the firefighter patted 
>Roselle and she reciprocated by offering kisses.
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>"It's probably the last unconditional love he got in his life before 
>he went up," he said.
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>By 9:45 a.m. Hingson and Frank were outside where Frank saw Tower 
>Two engulfed in flames.
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>As they walked down Broadway Avenue a police officer shouted out 
>that the building was about to collapse. The trio was about 100 
>yards away from the building. Hingson said he turned around picked 
>up his dog and began running.
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>Soon they were overwhelmed by the dust cloud from the burning building.
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>By that point Hingson had put his guide dog down and she was helping 
>them find a subway entrance where they were able to seek shelter. 
>When they came out, Hingson was informed by his friend that the 
>second tower had also come down.
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>"To think, in a blink of the eye what we had lost, so many lives 
>changed forever," he said.
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>Hingson said he was immediately placed on antibiotics and hasn't 
>experienced any health complications.
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>Roselle, now retired and living with him, experienced complications, 
>which Hingson believes are related to that day.
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>In 2002 he became the national public affairs representative for 
>Guide Dogs for the Blind.
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