Monica Iken was a newlywed of 11 months when her husband, Michael, was killed on September 11, 2001. His last words to her, spoken from the 84th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center, were, "People are jumping out of the window. I have to go." Just minutes later, Monica watched on television as a second plane struck his building.

Michael Iken was one of the 2,977 victims of the terrorist attacks that day. His body was never recovered. Monica, then 31, went from a happy newlywed to a widow in a matter of hours.

A Fateful Connection

Monica and Michael's relationship began with an extraordinary coincidence. They met on September 11, 1999, exactly two years before the attacks. Michael, who was divorced and six years older, had seen Monica at a bar the previous weekend and told his friend he intended to marry her. He returned to the same bar a week later, waiting for hours, and initiated a conversation that quickly deepened. Despite Monica's initial ambivalence about starting a new relationship, Michael was determined. Within months, they were inseparable, married in October 2000, and had plans for a family, though Michael often expressed a premonition that he would not live to old age.

The Morning of 9/11

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Michael left their home in good spirits, planning to collect his sailing certificate after work. He kissed Monica goodbye, and they exchanged "I love yous." Monica, having recently left her teaching job, went back to sleep. She was awakened by a phone call from Michael, which was unusual for that time of day. He told her a plane had hit the North Tower but that it wasn't his building. He reassured her and said he would call back. Minutes later, he called again, asking her to contact family and friends to let them know he was safe, as he couldn't handle the incoming messages. When Monica returned to the phone, Michael told her people were jumping and he had to go. "All I could get out of my mouth was, 'OK,'" she recalled, regretting that she didn't tell him to escape.

At 9:03 a.m., the second plane, United Airlines Flight 175, struck the South Tower, hitting floors 77 to 85, where Michael worked on the 84th floor. While some colleagues had fled, Michael and others reportedly stayed to help a colleague. Monica later learned he likely died from carbon monoxide poisoning, which she considered a small comfort, believing he did not suffer. She watched in horror as the South Tower collapsed less than an hour later.

Building a Legacy Amidst Grief

In the immediate aftermath, Monica struggled to cope, experiencing a profound sense of loss and turning to alcohol to calm her nerves. With no body to bury, a memorial mass was held. Drawn to Ground Zero, Monica felt a powerful conviction that a permanent memorial was necessary. She founded September's Mission, a non-profit dedicated to creating a positive legacy from the tragedy. She participated in "Listening To The City," a town hall meeting discussing the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan and memorializing the victims. This event, featured in the new film "9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero," was an ambitious democratic experiment that Monica found extraordinary.

Finding New Love and Hope

In June 2004, Monica met Bob Murphy, a firefighter who had lost his entire company on 9/11. Their shared experience of grief, though different, helped them connect. They began dating, and Monica became pregnant. Their daughters, Madison, now 21, and Megan, 19, were born in 2005 and 2007, respectively. Monica and Bob married, incorporating diamonds from Michael's ring into her wedding band. She made it clear that building a new family did not mean forgetting Michael, incorporating him into conversations with their daughters and asking him to watch over them.

Monica continues to visit the memorial at Ground Zero, which she considers her happy place and where she feels closest to Michael. While she cannot forgive the terrorists, she hopes the defining message of the past 25 years is one of hope, demonstrating that even after immense loss, life can improve. "I hope that can inspire someone in despair that things can and do get better," she said. The film "9/11: Reclaiming Ground Zero" is now available on select digital channels and Amazon Prime.