September 11: 10 Years On

Kellie Lee had just gone into labour with her second child in California when she realised her husband, who was on his way to be with her, was onboard American Airlines Flight 11. Daniel Lee always made a point of calling his wife, Kellie, every time he was about to board a plane.

"He was thoughtful and romantic – that's why I loved him," says Kellie, now 42. In 2001, the couple had been married for six years and had a two-year-old daughter, Amanda. "Our second daughter was due on September 13, 2001, and on the morning of the 11th, I went into labour early and rushed to hospital to give birth," explains Kellie. Peering over her pregnant stomach at the television, Kellie spoke to her baby: "Just hold on – Dad will be here soon."

A set carpenter, Daniel had been on America's east coast working on staging a Backstreet Boys tour, but had planned to use a two-day break in the band's schedule to fly home from Boston to LA for the baby's arrival. "He was desperate to make it before I went into labour," says Kellie. "But I'd started early."

In the hospital, Kellie was watching the TV news when alarming footage flashed up showing smoke pouring from a skyscraper in New York City. A passenger plane, the stunned news anchors reported, had crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. "Even during those first few minutes, I felt the tears wetting my cheeks because I had a horrible feeling that Dan was on that plane," recalls Kellie. "Mum tried to reassure me: 'He probably missed his flight – you know how he struggles to get up in the morning.'"

Next, Kellie's father tried to reach Daniel on his mobile phone, but there was no response. "I started to get angry," says Kellie. "How could I not have written down his flight number?" As the terrible events unfolded through the morning, and with no word from Daniel, hysteria set in. "Both towers had been destroyed and I still hadn't heard from him," she explains. "I began to hyperventilate."

For Kellie, the next 48 hours of labour were a blur. "My parents say I was delirious," she says. "But what I do remember is that I stopped hoping that Dan had missed his flight. I didn't need official notification. I knew he was dead." Kelly went into labour with her mum by her side. "She cut the cord. I had wanted it to be Dan. He'd been so good at Amanda's birth – I remember him smiling with pride through the surgical mask. By the time I held our healthy baby, Allison, I had no tears left to cry. It was impossible to be happy without Dan."

Over the next few weeks, the terrible facts were confirmed. Daniel had been aboard American Airlines Flight 11 when it slammed into the North Tower, just 10 floors above the Bank of America offices. In that sense, Daniel had been among the first people to lose their lives on that day. Later, Kellie learnt that baby Allison was the first newborn of a 9/11 victim.

An aerial view of the World Trade Centre in 2011.

Although she'd lost her beloved partner, Kellie says the hardest thing was explaining his death to Amanda. "I told her, 'Daddy isn't coming home', and she said, 'Yes he is. In five minutes, he'll be back.' It was heartbreaking."

Bringing up two children on her own hasn't been easy for Kellie: "The sleepless nights, the tears and questions about why they don't have a daddy like other children – but they have kept me together." In the wake of the tragedy, many of Daniel's high-profile friends in the music industry, including Janet Jackson and the Backstreet Boys, sent donations to help Kellie and the girls.

"I even received aid parcels full of baby clothes from strangers as far away as London," she reveals. "It was the most touching thing I have ever experienced."

In 2004, Kellie found love again. "I met Chris, and we married a year later. As any woman who has lost a partner knows, the guilt of replacing them never dies, but he has proven to be a great father to my girls."

Kellie reacted badly to news of the death of Osama bin Laden. "[It] brought a lot of painful memories back," she explains. "If his death signified the end of all hatred and violence, I would be ecstatic, but sadly it doesn't. However, I'm determined not to let 9/11 ruin my family's life."

Counting The Cost of Tragedy

• 102 Minutes from the first attack to the collapse of both towers.

• 12 Seconds it took for the stricken towers to collapse completely.

• 16 People who escaped the South Tower from above the plane's impact.

• 0 People who escaped the North Tower floors above the plane's impact.

• 8 Children, aged two to 11 years old, killed in the attack, all of whom were aboard the hijacked planes.

• 115 The number of nations whose citizens were killed in the attacks, including 10 Australians.

• 1616 death certificates were issued without a body at the request of victims' families.

• 144 The number of rings recovered from Ground Zero. They were among the 65,000 personal items located, which included 437 watches, 77 necklaces, 119 earrings and 80 bracelets.

• 3051 Estimated number of children who lost a parent in the attacks.

• 1300 Number of orphans due to the 9/11 attacks.

• 20 Percentage increase in the number of babies born in New York nine months after the attacks.

• 104 The number of babies born to 102 widows of 9/11 in the months following the attacks.

Images: Getty Images