Author Michael Hingson’s survival story has been inspiring people for two decades.
Hingson, who is blind, escaped the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, with his trusty guide dog Roselle by his side. He worked in Tower I on the 78th floor and was able to make it all the way down the stairs to the bottom floor and get away from the buildings before they collapsed.
Hingson has a new book, “Live Like a Guide Dog: True Stories from a Blind Man and His Dogs about Being Brave, Overcoming Adversity, and Moving Forward in Faith,” in which he discusses powerful lessons about overcoming adversity.
As it turns out, life lessons about fear — and preparedness — helped equip him to take the right steps during the worst terror attack on U.S. soil. Now, he’s imbuing those lessons on others.
“I learned that fear is something that I can use as a very powerful tool,” he said.
Watch Hingson explain:
In addition to managing his fear, Hingson had spent time preparing before the terror attack to learn what to do in the case of an emergency.
Knowing he couldn’t read signs due to his blindness, he learned his way around the building so he’d be able to lead and help others with simple tasks if something dire ever unfolded.
“So, I learned how to travel around the World Trade Center,” he said. “I learned where the restaurants were … I needed to know what to do in the case of an emergency. I needed to know all the emergency exits.”
Some might wonder why he prepared so diligently before 9/11, considering he had a guide dog. But Hingson said some people misunderstand the purpose of these dogs. Rather than leading a person, it’s the individual who must give cues to the dog.
Thus, knowing his way around was profoundly beneficial, as Roselle followed his lead.
When the terror attack unfolded and a plane hit Tower I, Hingson said the damage was above the 78th floor and that he and others had no idea what was happening above them. In those moments, though, knowing the building helped him navigate toward the stairway.
“As we were going down the stairs, there were lots of people around us and no one knew what happened because it happened on the other side of the building and above us,” he said. “So, we had no clue.”
But when his friend, David, saw smoke and fire above them and debris falling outside the window, they knew something was wrong.
“I began smelling an odor and it took me a while to realize that what I was smelling were the fumes from burning jet fuel,” he said.
Listen to them on the latest episode of “Quick Start”
It took Hingson an hour to make his way downstairs, with Roselle sticking with him throughout the ordeal. Once outside, he had to move quickly amid fears the buildings would come down.
“I thought ‘God, I can’t believe you got us out of a building just to have it fall on us,'” he recalled thinking as he was fleeing away from the World Trade Center. “I heard in my head as clearly as you hear me now a voice that said, ‘Don’t worry about what you can’t control. Focus on running with Roselle and the rest will take care of itself.'”
Hingson continued, ‘Was that God talking to me? Absolutely, it was. I have no doubt about that, but the issue is: I listened.”
Watch Hingson share the rest of his survival story and the lessons he learned here. And get his new book, “Live Like a Guide Dog: True Stories from a Blind Man and His Dogs about Being Brave, Overcoming Adversity, and Moving Forward in Faith.”
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