“Breaks my heart.”

Our last words were “I love you.”

John Vigiano Sr. is a retired New York City firefighter whose two sons followed him into service—John Jr. was a firefighter, too, and Joe was a police detective. On September 11, 2001, both Vigiano brothers responded to the call from the World Trade Center, and both were killed while saving others. Here, John Sr. remembers his sons and reflects on coping with his tremendous loss.

Directed by: The Rauch Brothers
Art Direction: Bill Wray
Producers: Lizzie Jacobs & Mike Rauch
Animation: Tim Rauch
Audio Produced by: Michael Garofalo, Lizzie Jacobs & Vanara Taing
Music: Fredrik
Label: The Kora Records
Publisher: House of Hassle

Funding provided by:
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Carnegie Corporation of New York
National Endowment for the Arts

In partnership with POV.

Bonus:

She taught me to be nicer to people.

When Richie Pecorella met Karen Juday, she captured his heart and changed his life. They were engaged and living together in Brooklyn when Karen was killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, where she worked as an administrative assistant. Here, Richie remembers Karen, his love and inspiration.

Directed by: The Rauch Brothers
Art Direction: The Rauch Brothers & Bill Wray
Animation: Tim Rauch
Producers: Mike Rauch, Lizzie Jacobs & Isaac Kestenbaum
Audio Produced by: Katie Simon & Michael Garofalo
Music: Fredrik
Label: The Kora Records
Publisher: House of Hassle

Funding provided by:
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Carnegie Corporation of New York
National Endowment for the Arts

In partnership with POV.

Bonus: “I know, they told me!”

On the morning of September 11th, Michael Trinidad called his ex-wife, Monique Ferrer, from the 103rd floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower to say goodbye. In the wake of his death, Monique tells the story of Michael’s lasting legacy—the family they built together.

Directed by: The Rauch Brothers
Art Direction: Bill Wray
Producers: Lizzie Jacobs & Mike Rauch
Animation: Tim Rauch
Audio Produced by: Michael Garofalo
Music: Fredrik
Label: The Kora Records
Publisher: House of Hassle

Funding provided by:
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Carnegie Corporation of New York
National Endowment for the Arts

Bonus: Say I love you at the end of calls. Call once a year. Leave a note on the table. It’s like color television.

Danny Perasa and his wife, Annie, came to StoryCorps to recount their twenty-seven-year romance. As they remember their life together from their first date to Danny’s final days with terminal cancer, these remarkable Brooklynites personify the eloquence, grace, and poetry that can be found in the voices of everyday people when we take the time to listen.

Credits:

Directed by: The Rauch Brothers
Background Layout & Design: Jim Smith
Producers: Mike Rauch & Lizzie Jacobs
Animation: Tim Rauch
Background Painting: Bill Wray
Audio Produced by: Michael Garofalo & Sarah Kramer

Music: Fredrik
Label: The Kora Records
Publisher: House of Hassle

Major funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

How to heal: help others.

Bonus, a mindful life take on 9/11: