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American Morning
The Newborns of September 11th Widows: Hope After Tragedy
Aired February 15, 2002 - 08:42 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: They are 31 women who tragically share a common bond, their husbands died on September 11 just before their babies arrived. Now these courageous women are starting to rebuild their lives, and in the current issue of "People" magazine, they share their pain and more importantly, their hope for the future.
Courtney Acquaviva's son, Paul, was born on December 20, a new baby brother for 3-year-old Sarah. And Jenna Jacob's son, Gabriel, is her first child. He was born just six days after she lost her husband, Ari. And both Jenna and Courtney join us now.
Gabriel, we're okay here.
Congratulations...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
ZAHN: ... to both of you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
ZAHN: They're absolutely beautiful.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
ZAHN: Courtney, tell us a little bit about Paul Andrew and just the trauma of having to go through what you've been through.
COURTNEY ACQUAVIVA, 9-11 WIDOW: Oh, Paula, it was -- obviously it's very difficult. You know the morning of 9-11 when I realized what was happening, I couldn't believe it because I was pregnant. And I said no, you know this can't happen me being pregnant. But I also knew immediately that he was going to be the hope and the joy that was going to get me through. And you know, that's my focus.
ZAHN: Who's helped you pull through the most?
ACQUAVIVA: Both of my children...
ZAHN: Is it just looking at this fantastic baby... ACQUAVIVA: Yes. Yes.
ZAHN: ... and your daughter as well?
ACQUAVIVA: Both of my children, my daughter, Sarah, and my son. You know they're the hope and joy and my family.
ZAHN: And, Jenna, tell us about Gabriel and Gabriel's arrival and having to work through the pain and suffering and the bursts of joy as well.
JENNA JACOBS, 9-11 WIDOW: OK. I think I just tried to keep everything separate. I was not willing to taint my son's life with his father's death. So, I don't know, I just tried to keep those things separate and concentrate on my sadness when I have time to do that and concentrate on him in a different way.
ZAHN: Where was Ari on September 11?
JACOBS: He was at Windows on the World at Risk Waters Conference.
ZAHN: And normally he would have been working where?
JACOBS: A few blocks away.
ZAHN: Wow!
JACOBS: Yes.
ZAHN: And when you heard the news...
JACOBS: You know, I didn't know he was there.
ZAHN: ... what did you think?
JACOBS: His assistant told me when I called their office to see if they knew what was going on, and she said, Jenna,...
(BABY CRIES)
ZAHN: Gabriel.
JACOBS: Well she said something like that, actually. You know it was like I got hit in the stomach with a tennis ball, I just couldn't -- but I thought he would get out. I had this rush of adrenaline and I just -- I thought well there's no way. It's a drama, but he'll get out.
ZAHN: Hey, Gabriel, I think he has this much energy because he sleeps. That's your penalty for his sleeping 10 hours every night.
JACOBS: Right.
ZAHN: Something that I'm sure Courtney would love to have. And tell us a little bit about what it is like to do this alone. Your family is in Minnesota?
JACOBS: Yes. Yes, it's just me. I have my husband's parents in the Bronx, so I see them often. But you know, I don't know what it's like to share parenthood, so functionally, he and I are doing what we need to do and we're OK. The hard part is is that the fun is supposed to be sharing all the little moments and I don't have someone to share those little moments with.
ZAHN: I can't imagine that. You having been through parenthood could certainly understand what Jenna is talking about.
ACQUAVIVA: Definitely. Definitely.
ZAHN: Tell us about the impact of this on your daughter. Is she old enough to have any understanding of what went wrong?
ACQUAVIVA: Yes, I think so. She's three, and unfortunately, on that morning, my husband was able to call me after the planes hit the towers and so I had the television on and I was speaking to him. And she saw what was happening to the buildings, and she knew that's where her father worked. So after I got off the phone with him, I immediately scooped her up and I said I can make a choice right now, you know I can lay down and die too, or I can take care of my children and take care of her.
She asks about him, obviously, and I think it's taken a while for her to process what's happened. But you know when your little girl looks at you and says to you, you know, is daddy still dying, why didn't he come home, it's really, really hard to answer those questions. So I just try and be as basic as I can, but I tell her all the time you know he wanted to come home, he just couldn't. He still loves us. You know he'll always love us, and that makes her -- I think that makes her feel OK, you know that he still cares. We talk about him every day -- every day. I will always -- always.
ZAHN: Wow! I know that you actually had a very important celebration shortly before September 11, you were celebrating Ari's...
JACOBS: Yes, now you're going to make me cry.
ZAHN: ... 30th birthday? Oh, I don't want to do that.
JACOBS: Oh that's okay. Yes, Ari would have been 30 on September 16, and because of the baby's arrival, we planned a surprise party for him on the 8th.
(BABY SQUEALS)
JACOBS: Yes, you were there too, kind of. And so all of our friends and family got together and we had a great big party just three days before he died.
ZAHN: Oh.
ACQUAVIVA: Oh.
ZAHN: And, Gabriel, you certainly inherited mommy's and daddy's spirit here.
What do the two -- I know that you have gotten together as a group with other moms who...
JACOBS: Yes.
ZAHN: ... also gave birth after September 11. Have you thought about exactly how -- what you're going to explain to their children when they're older than your daughter and can really better understand what happened?
JACOBS: Oh.
ZAHN: What will you tell them about September 11?
JACOBS: I think the truth. I mean I think...
ACQUAVIVA: Yes.
JACOBS: ... children can handle the truth as long as you speak to them kind of on their level. I mean their fathers died...
ACQUAVIVA: Definitely.
JACOBS: ... horribly, but that doesn't mean the world is a bad place.
ACQUAVIVA: Right.
ZAHN: Now this was a picture taken where? I'm looking at...
JACOBS: That one...
ZAHN: This is the...
JACOBS: ... on top of the World Trade Center in 1997, that's me and my husband.
ZAHN: Oh, wow!.
JACOBS: Yes.
ZAHN: And, Courtney,...
ACQUAVIVA: Yes.
ZAHN: ... what are -- what are you going to say?
ACQUAVIVA: Tell her about -- tell my children about that day, their daddy was a hero.
ZAHN: Yes.
ACQUAVIVA: Just went to work and that he loves us.
ZAHN: Wow! How important has it been to have each other? I mean no one can understand what it's like for the two of you to go through this.
ACQUAVIVA: No, and it was the final piece. You know after September 11, you feel isolated, even though this happened to hundreds of people and thousands of people, I felt so isolated because I was pregnant. And I finally -- I didn't get to meet other mothers that had -- were pregnant or had babies since September 11, and for me, that was the final piece.
And I actually had felt a little bit sense of healing and comfort because I know that if I need something I could pick up the phone and, you know, you don't have to say anything. When I met these women, you just -- you don't have to say, "how are you doing, are you okay?" Because they know, you know, they know. We all have been through the same thing, and they're the only ones that really on that level they know, you know.
JACOBS: Yes.
ZAHN: What was the overwhelming emotion? We're going to put up the screen right now the cover where you are joined by dozens of others -- mothers who also lost their husbands and gave birth after September 11. What was the overwhelming emotion when you all got into that room?
JACOBS: I don't really know how to explain that. You know we weren't crying, and we weren't exactly laughing, we were just reminiscing and sharing stories and it was a place where we could tell our stories to each other and listen to each other and it was kind of, I don't know, peaceful and...
ACQUAVIVA: It was.
ZAHN: What's so striking to me when you read the stories is just the sense of hope you all have. I didn't see any sense of self-pity in anything...
ACQUAVIVA: No.
ZAHN: ... that you all...
JACOBS: No.
ZAHN: ... reflected on and...
ACQUAVIVA: No, I think we all feel that same way that, you know, we didn't ask for this, obviously, and we were dealt this, and -- but we're going to make it through for our children, and because that's our husband's legacy.
JACOBS: Yes.
ACQUAVIVA: And you know, we're going to do that.
ZAHN: And what a legacy it is.
ACQUAVIVA: Yes. ZAHN: Paul Andrew, welcome to the world. Gabriel, welcome to the world. Boy do you have a set of lungs on you.
JACOBS: Yes, he does.
(LAUGHTER)
ZAHN: And it's a good thing you're sleeping for your mom 10 hours a night.
JACOBS: Thanks.
ZAHN: She needs a break.
Delighted to meet both of you.
JACOBS: Thank you.
ZAHN: Sorry it's under these circumstances.
ACQUAVIA: Thank you.
ZAHN: Courtney Acquaviva, Jenna Jacobs, think your kids have a wonderful legacy in the way you're living your lives.
ACQUAVIA: Thank you.
JACOBS: Thank you.
ZAHN: You show such great strength and courage.
JACOBS: Thanks.
ACQUAVIA: Thank you.
ZAHN: Continued good luck to both of you.
ACQUAVIA: Thank you, Paula.
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