About an hour after arriving at her 40th-floor office in the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York on 9/11/2001, Jocelyn Brooks heard a loud explosion and the building shook.
It was the moment hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania, resulting in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people. Watching glass rain down outside her window, Brooks turned to a colleague and said, "We're done for."
Brooks rushed to the crowded stairwell. When a woman stopped and cried out, "I can't breathe," Brooks patted her chest for about a minute and coached her until she calmed down.
She then ran down 40 flights of smoke-filled stairs with unexpected strength. Emerging into the clear sky, Brooks realized she had survived.
Outside, Brooks witnessed people jumping from the windows, none surviving. In that moment, Brooks felt her survival was destiny, not to be wasted. She had to live to see her two children grow up and pursue her dream of becoming a nurse.
"I want to be there to hold someone's hand when they're crying or at their weakest, because I was spared," Brooks, 61, said. "I got out of that building and I'm healthy. I'm grateful and I will continue to live that way."
Brooks explained that her family often lacked money for medical care, so her mother, Irene Woods, became their de facto doctor. Woods brewed herbal teas for fevers and used antiseptic for wounds. Brooks became her mother's assistant, handing her scissors, tape, gauze, and alcohol.
This sparked Brooks' passion for medicine, but she couldn't afford the education. Moving to Brooklyn in 1986, she worked as a research assistant at an investment bank. Yet, her dream persisted.
Brooks' two children often called her "The Red Cross" because of her helpful nature. However, she hesitated to leave her stable banking job to pursue nursing, needing to provide for her children. 9/11 changed everything.
In the years that followed, the sounds of speeding cars or ambulance sirens would trigger flashbacks to that day. But these moments also prompted reflection.
"I did a lot of soul-searching and asked myself, 'what if I wasn't here anymore?'. I wouldn't have the opportunity to follow my dreams," she said.
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Jocelyn Brooks working at the World Trade Center in New York in 1998 (left) and after becoming a nurse. Photo: CBS News |
Jocelyn Brooks working at the World Trade Center in New York in 1998 (left) and after becoming a nurse. Photo: CBS News
Brooks earned a psychology degree from Long Island University in 2004. In 2008, when her investment bank was acquired, she saw her chance. She returned to Long Island University for a nursing degree.
After graduating in 2012, Brooks began working as a nurse. She often sat with patients who had no family nearby, offering comfort. "I know your mom's not here today, but you're not alone. I'm here," she told one patient years ago.
For Brooks, witnessing patients' progress is "like the biggest reward."
Since joining Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York in 2018, Brooks has cared for patients with cancers linked to toxins from the 9/11 wreckage.
"She has a gentle and thoughtful way about her that I haven't seen in any other nurse," said Rachel Lemmey, Brooks' colleague.
On busy mornings, Lemmey said Brooks offers support and encouragement. "We're going to get through this day together. And it's going to be a great day," Brooks would say.
Thanh Tam (From Washington Post)
