AN AMERICAN woman devastated after losing many friends in the New York terrorist outrage today thanked York for its "mind-boggling and overwhelming" support.
Katherine Norling, who is living at Skelton, said the outpouring of sympathy and help she had received from friends, neighbours and even complete strangers was more than she could ever have asked for.
"While I wish that I could be home with my friends and family at the moment, I feel truly blessed to be here with my new friends and family," she told the Evening Press.
"My friends in York reached out when they heard the news. They phoned, they brought dinner, they wrote beautiful cards.
"One fabulous friend brought my son a sweatshirt with 'USA' emblazoned on the front. Strangers, hearing my accent, reached out and said how sorry they were."
Katherine said she had grown up in Fair Haven, a suburb of New York.
Most of her friends' fathers worked in the city when she was growing up and her brother worked there. "In fact, the majority of my community commutes into New York City on a daily basis."
She said her brother was safe, but her home community had lost 52 people in the outrage, she had lost many friends whom she had known since her schooldays and her husband John - a trader - had "lost" 700 people who worked for Cantor Fitzgerald at the World Trade Centre, with which he used to deal every day.
"The numbers are catastrophic and mind-numbing." Katherine said she had moved to York with her husband and baby son, John - now aged 18 months old - just over a year ago. "We were "adopted" by this fabulous community almost immediately," she said. "I have been thankful for that reception ever since, but never more so than this past week. The overwhelming support I have received from the people of York since the tragic events in the US last Tuesday has been nothing short of mind-boggling."
She said she also wanted to thank Britain for all it was doing to help America through a traumatic time.
"You are a nation of brave, compassionate and kind people."
Mrs Norling had placed a message on the Evening Press electronic Book of Condolence, which can be found on our Internet site at www.thisisyork.co.uk
Updated: 12:47 Saturday, September 22, 2001
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