Changed Lives: 9/11 Forever Family

Waiting nine months for a biological child feels like a long time, but when you’re an adoptive parent, that wait can be much longer.  And if that interval is made even longer because of unforeseen circumstances, like those on Sept. 11, 2001, it becomes practically unbearable. 

But that’s what happened to Livingston’s Sara and Tom Tanner who were two years into the adoption process on the day of the terrorist attacks. 

“We received a call from the adoption agency that day, telling us that we had been selected," Sara said. "The call was a total surprise. I thought our case worker was calling to make sure we were OK and I was trying to end the phone call.”  That was when the social worker told the couple she had big news.    

7-month-old Ethan, the child the Tanners had been waiting for so long, was ready to be picked up. The problem was, they needed to get to Florida and because of the attacks, there weren’t any flights. 

“The usual amount of time it takes to pick up a child is 24 to 48 hours, but I think we actually got down there five days later. We had been bumped from flights because of the crazy flight schedules. Airlines were combining flights to move people from city to city. Security was very tight and it was worse returning to the New York area,” Sara said. 

“The images of the Twin Towers burning will be with me forever," Sara said. "I was wondering if we would ever feel safe again. Then the phone rang with our wonderful news. People asked us how we could fly, but we were just so excited to meet Ethan that it didn’t matter,” she said.

“Whenever I tell people we became a forever family on 9/11 and they realize I mean 9/11/01, they always comment on how it was such a wonderful event on such a tragic day.”