A woman’s life changed forever because of 9/11. She was a happy widow after the tragic events of 9/11. This year, she wore her wedding dress to honor his death.
Twenty years ago, Monica Iken lost the love of her life, Michael, a bond trader working in the second tower that went down. After two decades of keeping her white dress in a box, she finally decided to put it on again in 2021.
According to her, the dress was part of a statement she made about her life before the attacks. According to Iken, it was a statement that said: “I was happily married the day he died. And I was looking forward to having a family.”
A woman wears her wedding dress and places a flower on her husband’s 9/11 memorial along with an image of them on their wedding day
HONORING HIS MEMORY
Wiping away her tears, she explained that she wore the dress to honor his memory. While she has since remarried and had a family, the widow expressed that “We can live our lives, but still keep that memory.”
Clad in the long white dress, she placed flowers and a photograph from their wedding on the 9/11 Memorial reflecting pools in New York City. Iken was a vocal supporter of rebuilding the site of the fallen towers.
Over the past 20 years since her husband was tragically killed on #Sept11, Monica Iken-Murphy has played a key role in the @Sept11Memorial and has continued to keep Michael Iken’s memory alive, as @estarkmiller96 reports … https://t.co/Mv8wIWgOhP pic.twitter.com/D20J4EbpCy
— The Riverdale Press (@riverdalepress) September 15, 2021
“THERE IS NO MOVING ON”
She refused to let the city build something new on “hallowed ground.” Thanks to people like her, future generations have something physical to look back on and remember the tragic day.
Iken was just one year old when her husband died. She said that although the loss is not permanent, it was still very hard to accept. Iken added: “There is no moving on, you never move on from it. You move in. You move into the life that was chosen for you.”
20 years ago today, Monica Iken-Murphy lost her husband Michael in the 9/11 attacks – his last words to her were “People are jumping out of windows, I have to go”. I spoke to her about that day and how she’s rebuilt her life since, for @telegraphstella https://t.co/v1bHDlUBaB
— Claudia Rowan (@claudiarowan) September 11, 2021
IKEN FOUGHT FOR THE 9/11 MEMORIAL
New York’s then-governor George Pataki, in the aftermath of 9/11, described Iken as “tenacious” and “relentless.” When people said everyone should move on, she refused to allow anyone to “bulldoze over crying souls.”
He added that she deserved a lot of credit for the 9/11 memorial site. It serves as a reminder to those who have lost their lives.
THE ONLINE REACTION
Netizens sent out a stream of love for Iken and the various others who still mourn this loss. One user said: “My heart goes out to everyone involved in this terrible tragedy, victims and their families. Never forget.”
Another expressed: “So sorry for her tragic loss. She is so beautiful and elegant in her wedding dress!!!” People from around the world said the footage of her in the wedding dress was tough to watch, proving that it certainly made a statement as Iken had hoped.