Mass. woman honors mother's 9/11 heroism through her own daughters
Anna Sweeney is raising her daughters in her mother’s memory, keeping Madeline Amy Sweeney’s 9/11 heroism alive
Anna Sweeney is raising her daughters in her mother’s memory, keeping Madeline Amy Sweeney’s 9/11 heroism alive
Anna Sweeney was just 5 years old when her mother boarded a flight to Los Angeles and forever became one of the heroes of the 9/11 attacks.
Twenty-five years later, Sweeney remains determined to carry on her legacy — something she is now doing through her own little girls.
"We have a Madeline Theresa Rossman and a Quinn Amy Rossman, both in memory of my mother and their grandmother who would have loved them so much," she said.
Madeline Amy Sweeney was a flight attendant on Flight 11. Before the plane hit the North Tower, the Acton mom called back to Logan Airport, reporting the seat numbers of the hijackers and other critical information.
Anna thinks about her mom all the time, now through the lens of a new parent.
"As I'm trying to navigate new parenthood, I'm like, 'Did my mom feel this way when she was raising me?'" she said. "I'm thinking about what she might try to tell me. I'm blessed to have such a large family that helps me keep her memory alive and tell me stories that I wasn't there for."
As they have every year, Anna and her family will remember her mom by awarding the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery, which highlights the actions of someone in New England.
She's not sure how she'll explain what happened to her children, but she knows she'll tell them their grandmother was an American hero.
And she has a request for everyone on this 25th anniversary of the attacks:
"Just keep talking about it. Keep talking about the firefighters, the police, the flight attendants, everyone in the buildings," she said. "Keep sharing their stories. Don't let their memory die."