After the horrendous atrocities in Paris earlier this month, friends, family, loved ones are grieving for those 130 who lost their lives during the series of terrorist attacks.
Those who witnessed these brutal acts of violence first hand will still be coming to terms with what happened on November 13 and try to understand why this happened.
To help those through this painful time, four young adults – who were just children when they lost their parents in the September, 11, 2001 attacks – have sent a message of support to the survivors, their friends and family in this heart-wrenching video from Vox.
When the Twin Towers were destroyed in New York City back in 2011, Terrease Aiken was eight, Juliette was six, Francesca Picerno was nine and Joseph was 12.
They all share a painful thing in common. They all lost their parents on that fateful day, and now, in their twenties they have a message for the victims of Paris. They are as insightful and poignant as the last.
Terrease Aiken, now 22, was only 8 years old when terrorists attacked New York City in 2001.
She said:
To the people of Paris: Keep spreading love. I do believe that it is up to us now, because we know what anger and hatred looks like, and we can’t add to that anymore.
Juliette Candela, now 21 was only 6-years-old when she lost her father.
She said:
You don’t need to shy away from living your lives. I know what it’s like to have my father killed on national television.
Juliette went on to speak about how she still gets reminded of her dad each day and how she deals with his passing.
Francesca Picerno, now 23, was 9 when her father was killed on 9/11.
She said:
Sharing the experience with hundreds of thousands of people and it sort of takes away from the fact you can grieve, move on and live your life. But you should never be afraid of any terrorists, because I am telling you that the terrorists are more afraid than you are.
Joseph Palombo, 26, was 12 years old on that tragic day in 2001.
He said:
You don’t wanna live your life with hate. You don’t want to live your life in anger. People look at you and they shouldn’t see tragedy they should see hope. You mean so much to society and you are so valuable. And for you to be happy is just what everybody wants to see, and it will give everybody hope. And that’s the best, I think, attack that you can have on a terrorist or a terrorist group or anything — to smile, to show your teeth, and to just love life.
I don’t think this could be put any better. It’s about defiance and a sense of unity during these torrid times.
