PHOENIX (AZFamily) \u2014 A Glendale woman is sharing her story of loss as the nation marks the anniversary of September 11, 2001.<\/p>\n
Maureen Geraghty lost a brother, a brother-in-law and later another brother, all connected to their work at Ground Zero. She shared her story for the first time publicly Friday.<\/p>\n
The phone call<\/p>\n
Geraghty said that day reached from New York to her home in Glendale when she received a call from a family member. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe said, \u2018okay we heard from..\u2019 and she listed the names of the people in my family who we heard from, and then said, \u2018but we haven\u2019t heard from Tommy or Eddie yet,\u2019\u201d Geraghty said.<\/p>\n
Tommy and Eddie were New York City Fire Department chiefs. Her brother-in-law, Thomas DeAngelis, and her brother, Edward Geraghty, were missing.<\/p>\n
Geraghty rushed back to New York, joining her family in the days of waiting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe stayed in hope for a couple of weeks,\u201d Geraghty said. \u201cAnd then we went down to Ground Zero to say goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n
Final moments<\/p>\n
Geraghty later learned Thomas died inside a hotel between the towers.<\/p>\n
Through radio recordings, she found her brother Edward\u2019s final moments. On the 40th floor, he had set up a triage area and was communicating with another fire chief on a higher floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked my brother to come up, and so my brother\u2019s final words and his response was \u2018I\u2019m coming up, Oreo.\u2019 And so, he was coming up,\u201d Geraghty said.<\/p>\n
Geraghty said she heard her brother\u2019s strength in those last words.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was comforting to hear him being a leader, taking charge, doing what he loves to do, which is saving other people\u2019s lives,\u201d Geraghty said.<\/p>\n
A third loss<\/p>\n
Four years ago, Geraghty\u2019s brother Stephen Geraghty, also a fire chief, died from 9\/11-related health complications. <\/p>\n
He spent hours at Ground Zero after the attacks. He was one of more than 9,000 people who have died because of the aftermath.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he suffered, right? I mean that was different,\u201d Geraghty said.<\/p>\n
A message of unity<\/p>\n
Geraghty said she chooses to share her story as a message of love and unity.<\/p>\n
She commemorated the 25th anniversary of the tragedy by holding an event Friday, titled \u201cThe Choice on 9\/12: A Healing Experience<\/a>\u201d at New Vision Center for Spiritual Living.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes it takes a tragedy to bring it forth, but I don\u2019t think that\u2019s necessary, we can choose it now,\u201d Geraghty said.<\/p>\n Asked what message she would share with her brothers, Geraghty said she would want to thank them for sacrificing their lives.<\/p>\n See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it<\/a>.<\/p>\n